The transfer of Ivan Perišić to Manchester United, which has turned into one of the biggest soap operas of the transitional period, has been given a new twist.
After what seemed to be Manchester United digging deep into their pockets to pay the heavy asking price for Croatia's Ivan Perišić (£50m), Inter Milan’s sporting director Piero Ausilio has painted a different picture for United instead: Perišić is not for sale, reports Gol.hr on July 13, 2017.
“The transfer is not happening. Perišić is training with us and we have not considered anything that Manchester United has offered," said Ausilio to Sky Sports Italia.
These statements come after Jose Mourinho and Manchester United embarked on their US tour, leaving only executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward behind in Europe to face the task of bringing Perišić to the club. After these discussions, however, it will appear to be a very difficult job.
The drama first began when United tried to lower their price for Perišić, knowing that Inter urgently needed money to meet Financial Fair Play regulations. However, Inter sold a few of their less important players, receiving the money needed to pay off their debts. Perišić quickly became a crucial asset to the team again, forcing United to increase their offer for the Croat several times.
Thus far, Inter has refused all offers from United, and the new Inter boss Luciano Spalletti is convinced that Perišić really just wants a place on his team. Spalletti sees Perišić as a crucial part of his vision for Inter, who plans to attack Champions League this season.
“Perišić is an important player for us, we're counting on him. Let's see what he has to say. I don't expect him to say that he wants to leave, that would be bad. We'll see what his intentions are.
It's just the media who are telling me he wants to go, he has not said anything to me. But we are Inter and we can decide to do whatever we want,” Spalletti said to La Gazzetta dello Sport on July 9, 2017.
United kicks off their US tour against LA Galaxy on Sunday. They then face Real Salt Lake City, Manchester City, and Real Madrid.
