Manchester United chief Ed Woodward meets Ivan Perisic agent in bid to secure Inter Milan ace’s Old Trafford move
Jose Mourinho views the Croatia winger as the final piece of the puzzle but Serie A club's owners are not bowing down to opening offer
MANCHESTER UNITED chief Ed Woodward has met up with Ivan Perisic’s agent this week to thrash out a last-minute deal, according to reports.
The Old Trafford exec wants to land the Inter Milan ace the final part of Jose Mourinho’s squad puzzle and the Mirror claim face-to-face talks with his rep are ongoing.
Woodward is said to have met with Fali Ramadani to see if there is any wiggle room on the £48million price tag Inter have slapped on their man to warn United off.
United have bid £39m for the Croatia winger but the San Siro side has not budged as they aim for a top-four Serie A finish and a return to the Champions League.
United looked the finished article, dismantling West Ham in their opening Premier League game with new boys Romelu Lukaku, midfielder Nemanja Matic looking particularly tasty.
But the Special One still feels Perisic would add an extra dimension that would boost their chances of success at home and in Europe.
Inter’s sporting director Piero Ausilio flattened the reports about Perisic leaving at the start of August, insisting he was ready to extend his contract.
He said: “I don’t understand where some of these stories come from. He is an important player and we are currently discussing a new contract with him.”
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Perisic was involved in Inter’s last match – a friendly with Real Betis he played 73 minutes of – but the biggest sign will come on Sunday for their league opener.
If the versatile midfielder features against Fiorentina then it will make United’s summer-long attempts seem fruitless.
But – if he’s struck down with a mystery complaint like Virgil van Dijk or Alexis Sanchez – then he could be on the move to Old Trafford.