Manchester United have reportedly set their sights on Marcelo Brozovic after their move for Ivan Perisic was scuppered by Inter Milan.
Italian publication Calciomercto have reported that Jose Mourinho has turned his attention towards Croatian midfielder Marcelo Brozovic, after Manchester United were thwarted by Inter Milan in their attempts to sign teammate Ivan Perisic.
Brozovic is one of the most industrious midfielder playing in Europe currently, and has been a key figure for Inter Milan since moving to San Siro from Dinamo Zagreb in January 2015. He had a promising start to life in Italy last season, and has only gone from strength to strength in the current campaign.
That is reflected in the numbers as well, with Brozovic scoring 5 goals while providing 4 assists in 22 appearances across all competitions for Inter so far this season. With numbers like that, Brozovic is a player who is starting to be scouted by clubs across Europe.
In fact, Chelsea even came close to securing his services last summer before a move failed to materialise. And now, Manchester United are being linked with a move for the 24-year-old, with Ivan Perisic’s acquisition looking unlikely.
Jose Mourinho is eager to strengthen several positions in the summer, with central midfield and wings being two of the priority slots. As a result, the Manchester United boss is believed to be eyeing viable transfer targets, and Perisic was being scouted as the ideal player to pursue in attack.
In fact, Mourinho was present at Stadion Maksimir last week to watch Croatia beat Ukraine, and it is believed that he was present to watch Perisic in action.
However, Inter are unwilling to part ways with the Croatian forward and are eager to tie him up to a new long-term deal that could contain a release clause in excess of €60 million. This is said to have put Manchester United on the back foot, and they could cool off their interest in Perisic.
As for midfield, box-to-box midfielder Brozovic is a player who has entered Mourinho’s radar during his trip to Croatia, following impressive showings with the Nerazzurri. Indeed, central midfield is a position that will need strengthening in the summer.
That is because Bastian Schweinsteiger has left Manchester United for Chicago Fire, while English veteran Michael Carrick has entered the twilight years of his career. At 24, Brozovic has his best years ahead of him, and he could be just the reinforcement that Mourinho could do with in the summer.
The report states that Inter inserted a €50 million buy-out clause in the Croatian international’s contract when he signed a contract renewal with them earlier in the season, and it’s a figure that will help them immensely in their attempts at complying with Financial Fair Play rules.
With Brozovic regarded as one of the most promising midfielders in Europe, a possible summer deal could be on the cards. It will be interesting to see if Manchester United are willing to shell out the massive buy-out amount in the summer.
