Sridhar Bhamidi
After an entire summer of going back and forth, it looks like Manchester United have finally made up their mind on Ivan Perisic transfer if reports from The Express are to be believed. United may look to up their bid and meet Inter’s valuations to land their target.
The summer started with Jose Mourinho identifying four positions as a target for Ed Woodward. The United executive vice-chairman was successful in closing out three of those targets. Victor Lindelof arrived to strengthen the defence, Romelu Lukaku joined from Everton strengthening the forward line and Nemanja Matic joined from Chelsea adding steel to the midfield.
The one to miss out so far is a winger and Mourinho had his eyes on one man – Perisic from Inter was his prime target. However, the clubs differed in their valuations and the San Siro side held firm in their £48 million valuation.
How would the fans take this? It is reported in certain quarters that United would be looking for a marquee addition this summer. Gareth Bale was a consistent name thrown around although neither the player nor his current club Real Madrid showed any intent.
Then there were murmurs around the return of fan favorite Cristiano Ronaldo as the Portuguese superstar grappled with tax problems in Spain. But that link too was a non-starter and United had to move on to more realistic targets.
Personally, I am very happy with the signings so far as they represent value in this inflated market – none more than Matic. Perisic would definitely add pace and quality in the wings but looking at what Anthony Martial has done so far in the pre-season and the two Premier League encounters so far, I do not see an immediate need.
With Champions League action set to commence soon and the need to stay alive in four competitions, Mourinho would like to have a larger squad at his disposal. Adding a wide man would definitely make the gaffer happy and for now, the targets remain Perisic and Bale.
With only valuations stopping Perisic from joining Old Trafford that could be one transfer that may go through before the deadline. And if Real Madrid succeeds in luring Kylian Mbappe to join Zinedine Zidane, there is a possibility of Bale becoming available.
Either way, the Perisic saga would close out in the next couple of weeks and I am sure all parties are looking forward to that!
