This is one saga that has all the makings of a soap opera! Ivan Perisic to Manchester United was almost one of the first rumours to have come out and it continues to hog the limelight.

According to reports, the 28-year-old Inter Milan attacker could be making the switch to Old Trafford as early as this week.

Manchester United are still a few million short of Internazionale’s asking price for Croatian winger Ivan Perisic, but those close to the club expect it to be completed for a fee of around £45m to £50m over the next week according to Independent.

It has been a theme of the summer for United where clubs try to increase the asking price if the Old Trafford club is involved. On their part, United tried to take advantage of the Financial Fair Play (FFP) worries of Inter and squeeze them to a lower price for Perisic.

But Inter stood firm with their valuation of Perisic. In fact, they were adamant that the playmaker will not be sold at any price. His contributions from last season – 11 goals and 12 assists in all competitions, is a big reason for that.

New coach Luciano Spalletti was publicly hopeful of retaining the Croatian winger from day one. That the player hasn’t yet told the manager or the club that he wants to leave is an ace up their sleeve. However, it is an open secret that Perisic has his heart set on a move to Old Trafford. Early reports even indicated that personal terms were agreed after Jose Mourinho made him one of his prime targets (Independent).

His exploits in the final third would be much appreciated by the Red Devils who struggled for efficiency in front of the goal. A total of just 54 Premier goals was the least that any team in the top seven could muster last year.

Having already sealed a deal for Victor Lindelof in defence and Romelu Lukaku to lead the forward line, Mourinho would want to hasten his other priorities. A defensive midfielder remains on top of his list while signing Perisic would tick one more of his boxes.

Perisic’s current contract at the San Siro runs till 2020 which, in addition to his playmaking abilities, increases his value. But seriously in a market that is grossly overvalued, paying £45million for someone of Perisic’s ability should not be over the top.

Looking at how things are unfolding, it seems to be a question of when he joins United!