Manchester United are holding talks with Inter Milan over a potential transfer for Ivan Perisic this summer, reports say.
Man United have been interested in signing Perisic for a while, long before Ole Gunnar Solskjaer took charge at Old Trafford.
According to Fichajes.com, as cited by the Daily Express, United are negotiating an exchange with Inter which would see Alexis Sanchez head in the other direction on a permanent basis. The Spanish publication claimed that the Red Devils are close to completing a swap deal for the Croatian.
Perisic, who is valued at £15.75m by Transfermarkt, has spent the past season on loan at Bayern Munich but the Bundesliga champions declined to activate a permanent deal for the midfielder, which has paved the way for Ed Woodward to make a move instead.
Bayern were only interested in extending his loan deal for another year, which didn’t go down well with his parent club.
Recent reports had suggested that Tottenham Hotspur were in talks with Inter, but United appear to have stolen a march on their Premier League rivals.
After arriving at the Allianz Arena last year, Perisic has scored four goals and supplied three assists in the Bundesliga this season, taking 1.9 shots per game (via WhoScored).
Although the 31-year-old suffered an ankle injury which ruled him out of several games prior to football’s suspension, he turned out to be a reliable asset for Bayern, as he made 31 appearances in all competitions.
Meanwhile, Sanchez is arguably one of Woodward’s biggest mistakes, as he currently earns £400,000-a-week, even though he has only scored five times in 45 games for the Red Devils.
A straight swap for Perisic is surely a no-brainer for United, as Solskjaer is desperate to get Sanchez off the wage bill as soon as possible. However, whether or not Inter will be willing to pay his hefty wages is another matter altogether.
United fans, should Woodward swap Sanchez for Perisic in the summer? Let us know your thoughts by commenting below!