Having had their previous offer turned down, currently reigning Europa League champions Manchester United have come back to the negotiating table and stepped up their bid to sign Inter Milan’s sensational winger Ivan Perisic.
According to reports in Italy, Inter Milan are seeking a whopping £48-million fee for the Croatian international, who is currently 28 years old and has three years left on his contract.
The Red Devils were thought to have originally made a bid somewhere in the £30-million pound range a few weeks prior, but the historic Italian side refused to budge on their valuation of the prolific wide-man, who also has the ability to play as a centre-forward.
Inter do have a case for ensuring they get full value for Perisic. After all, the former Wolfsburg and Borussia Dortmund footballer has had a brilliant season with the Nerazurri last year, scoring 11 goals and assisting in 12 more in a span of 42 matches across all competitions.
The Reds, for their part, understand where Inter Milan are coming from and appear to be willing to meet the Italian side’s valuation of the player. According to Sky Italia, the deal is mooted to be finished within the next couple of weeks, with both parties just straightening out final details.
Manchester United have been left frustrated in the last couple of weeks after they have been rebuffed time and again in signing their top targets, which include the likes of Atletico Madrid’s Antoine Griezmann, Real Madrid striker Alvaro Morata, centre-back Eric Dier from Tottenham, and midfielder Nemanja Matic from rivals Chelsea.
Such impotence in the market, an area United have dominated just a year prior, has made an unhappy man out of manager Jose Mourinho. And so, Perisic’s imminent arrival to Old Trafford should be welcome news to the Portuguese tactician.
The Croatian star will definitely be a welcome addition to the Manchester United roster, who are currently lacking in options up front. Indeed, the English side have only managed to score 54 goals in the league last season, a stark contrast to the 77 goals 5th placed Arsenal have shipped in and the 85 goals Chelsea have scored last season.
Such underwhelming offence is largely brought about by over-reliance in their talismanic striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who was injured in April, with a month to go before the season ended. Indeed, crunching the numbers show the Reds only managed to score 4 goals in the 6 final games of the season.
Bringing in not only a proven goal-scorer but also a chance creator in Perisic can only be good news for Manchester United.
Of course, as to whether United will actually have the ability to reel in the Croatian international to Old Trafford in the coming weeks is still highly uncertain.