Jose Mourinho praises Inter Milan's 'strong defence' in refusing to sell £48m Ivan Perisic to Man United
Ivan Perisic has been linked with Manchester United
Jose Mourinho has backed Internazionale for doing their upmost to keep Ivan Perisic from Manchester United’s clutches this summer.
United had been locked in negotiations for the Croatia winger for much of the summer, with the clubs coming close to a deal only for Inter to stand firm and refuse to budge on the £48m asking price.
Perisic wants the Old Trafford move, with United still looking to add a wideman as a priority now following the arrivals of Victor Lindelof, Romelu Lukaku and Nemanja Matic to strengthen the other three areas of the squads identified as needing improving most.
But, with United now wary of negotiating with Inter over Perisic given their reluctance to sell – and insistence that Anthony Martial should be involved – The Independent reported on Monday how the club are now looking at alternative options, namely Tottenham Hotspur’s Danny Rose.
And Mourinho appeared to allude to this struggle to bring in Perisic and his frustration in doing so when he conceded that his former club have done well for keeping him this summer.
“That's football,” he told Premium Sport. “If I was playing against Inter tomorrow I'd want to win.
“They're strong, they put up a good defence to keep someone who's an important player for them. That's football.”
