Arsenal are surprise contenders to land Inter Milan winger Ivan Perisic claims the BBC.
The Gunners opened talks with the Nerazzurri over the 29-year-old Croatia international and hope to complete a loan deal this month. That would be the prelude to a £35m permanent move in the summer but the Serie A giants aren’t interested in the loan element.
It’s a similar deal to the one which saw Arsenal’s pursuit of Denis Suarez flounder. Barcelona wanted to make the loan deal this season a precursor to a £20m deal at the end of the season. However, the Catalans weren’t interested in the option to buy, just an obligation to take the 24-year-old midfielder off their books.
Perisic has been a mainstay of the Inter side since moving to Italy from Wolfsburg in 2015. He signed an extension to his contract eighteen months ago which keeps in the San Siro until 2022. However, constant speculation over a move to Manchester United in 2018 was sown from the seeds of truth, it seems. Inter are ready to release the Croatia international.
Gunners boss Unai Emery is desperate to add depth to the wide areas of his attack which was exposed during last night’s 3 – 1 home defeat to Manchester United in the FA Cup.
