Manchester United saw a second bid rejected for winger Ivan Perisic at the start of July. The Red Devils appear determined to land the Croatian star this summer but the Serie A club are said to be standing firm and could hold the Premier League side to ransom over the 28-year-old. Can the two clubs come to an agreement before the new season gets underway? Many people are starting to bet on bet365 that Perisic and Man U will ultimately come to an agreement.
Source: Italian Football TV (@ITFTVofficial) via Twitter
Manchester United have already added Victor Lindelof to their squad this summer but Jose Mourinho is reportedly frustrated with the lack of transfer activity at the club over the past two months. The Portuguese coach handed a list of at least 12 transfer targets to the club’s hierarchy at the end of the 2016-17 season but many of these deals have failed to materialise.
Inter were required to meet Financial Fair Play restrictions, which involved raising €30million in player sales but Ever Banega’s return to Sevilla has helped ease the burden on the Italian club and they are holding firm on star man Perisic. United were hoping to land the winger in a cut-price deal but they may be required to stump up £48million to secure his services for next season.
Luciano Spalletti has been appointed as the new head coach of Inter and has a huge job on his hands to restore the club’s reputation. He has advised Perisic that he won’t stand in the way of the Croatian’s departure this summer, telling reporters: “We shouldn’t convince anyone to stay at Inter.”
The Serie A giants paid around €16million for Perisic two years ago, handing the winger a five-year contract at the club. He scored 11 times last season, which included bagging a goal in Inter’s 5-2 win over Udinese on the final day of the campaign.
Source: Squawka News (@SquawkaNews) via Twitter
Jose Mourinho is also hoping to finalise a deal for Real Madrid hitman Alvaro Morata this week. With Wayne Rooney reportedly heading back to Everton and Zlatan Ibrahimovic having already departed, the boss is desperate to bolster his striking options ahead of the new season. The club have also been linked with Atletico star Antoine Griezmann this summer, although the Frenchman is believed to be keen on extending his stay in Madrid.
Despite only finishing in sixth position last season, Manchester United will be amongst many people’s pre-season bets and have been priced up as second favourites for the Premier League title at 10/3. They are narrowly ahead of last season’s champions Chelsea in the betting, with Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City the marginal favourites for success next year.
The club possess plenty of spending power and the appeal of pulling on the famous Manchester United colours is surely an enticing prospect for many of Europe’s top players – but there are a number of deals which have failed to materialise so far. Mourinho’s side had few problems defensively last season but their overreliance on the aforementioned Ibrahimovic was evident.
Ivan Perisic could become a Manchester United player this summer but Inter are not willing to sell their asset cheaply. Mourinho’s side desperately need some creativity and the Croatian looks the perfect fit. A third bid looks likely but will it be enough to persuade the Serie A club to part with their star winger?
