Manchester United could be offered Ivan Perisic as Inter Milan eye Chris Smalling
According to FC Inter News (h/t Daily Star), Manchester United could be offered the chance to sign Croatian ace Ivan Perisic.
The 31-year-old is a versatile attacker capable of playing a variety of attacking roles. He spent the last season on loan at Bayern Munich and played a key role as the Germans won the Champions League.
Perisic made 35 appearances for Die Roten last season. During this time, he scored 8 goals and 10 assists. (h/t Transfermarkt)
This is not the first time that Perisic has been linked with a move to Old Trafford. Former boss Jose Mourinho was keen to sign the player during his time at United. Unfortunately, it was not to be. (h/t The Sun)
Inter are willing to offer the Perisic in exchange for Chris Smalling. The Italians have identified the United defender as a viable alternative to Milan Skriniar if he so leaves the club.
They will however have to face competition from Roma, who have made Smalling their top priority this summer. The United star spent last season on loan in the Italian capital. (h/t The Express)
The United frontline of Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial and Mason Greenwood is a formidable trio. However, there is a drop off in quality beyond these three.
While bringing in Perisic will definitely give us a proven star to call upon, at 31, he is not going to be a long-term option.
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It would not be the worst idea for the club to swap Smalling for Perisic. With Champions League fixtures coming in, an influx of quality is necessary for us to compete against the best teams on the continent.
In Perisic, we would have someone who has won the competition and also led his country to the World Cup final in 2018.
The Croatian could prove to be a shrewd signing who can play a key role for us in the coming years.