Man United may have to offload Martial to land Ivan Perisic
Deal for Inter Milan midfielder is still not finalised and Red Devils are unwilling to sacrifice forward
Man United's hopes of signing Ivan Perisic may be hanging in the balance after they were told to up their offer or include Anthony Martial as part of any deal
Inter Milan are playing hard ball, says The Independent and have ordered United to pay £48m for Perisic or at least offer a player in return. But United don’t want to let Martial go and the player is not keen on leaving Old Trafford.
The France star’s cousin yesterday revealed Inter were interested in signing Martial. It is believed United are open to the idea of using Matteo Darmian in a player plus cash deal for Perisic – but rate Martial too highly to let him go.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The striker joined United in a £36m deal, which could still rise to £58m, from Monaco in September 2015 while he was just 19. He lost his place as a regular starter last term but still scored eight goals in all competitions for United playing predominantly as a winger.
United have become increasingly frustrated in their pursuit of Perisic and boss Jose Mourinho has said he will not pay over the odds for players.
But they may have to pay, says the Daily Star, which has a slightly different take on Inter’s stance.
It says the Red Devils have been in talks with the Italian giants over a deal for the Croatian international since the end of last season, and it claims Serie A giants will only accept cash
Perisic is under contract for another three years after this summer, explains the paper. So Inter are under no pressure to accept offers that they regard as too low.
Man United land Perisic and prepare for war with Liverpool
18 July
Manchester United are closing in on their third signing of the summer having finally agreed a deal to land Ivan Perisic from Inter Milan.
The Sun reports the fee will be £40m for the 28-year-old Croatian winger who will join United’s pre-season tour to America where he will complete the deal.
It has been a long-running saga, with Inter refusing to let Perisic go on the cheap, but now the deal looks close to being finalised. Inter seem happier to let him go after closing on a loan deal for Lazio star Keita Balde following a loan enquiry for Anthony Martial that came to nothing.
Boss Jose Mourinho has already landed Everton striker Romelu Lukaku and Benfica defender Victor Lindelof as United rebuild for the new season. And after adding Perisic to the list, it seems he is ready to battle with bitter rivals Liverpool to sign Naby Keita.
Liverpool have been trying to secure the Guinea international’s signature for several weeks and have had several bids turned down by RB Leipzig.
The Daily Star, citing Football Whispers as its source, says the German club are prepared to do business despite stating publicly that the 22-year central midfielder is not for sale. That has alerted several clubs, including United, who no doubt would love to get one over on their old enemy.
United’s interest in Keita will be sharpened because their attempts to sign Chelsea midfielder Nemanja Matic could be about to hit the buffers.
The Sun, citing Corriere dello Sport as its source, says Matic has agreed a move to Juventus instead which is dependent on Chelsea lowering their £40m asking price.
Matic looked destined for Old Trafford earlier this month but there is a lot of bad blood between the clubs after United’s late move for Lukaku from under the noses of Blues.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
The history of Donald Trump's election conspiracy theories
The Explainer How the 2024 Republican nominee has consistently stoked baseless fears of a stolen election
By David Faris Published
-
Two ancient cities have been discovered along the Silk Road
Under the radar The discovery changed what was known about the old trade route
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
'People shouldn't have to share the road with impaired drivers'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Why Man United finally lost patience with ten Hag
Talking Point After another loss United sacked ten Hag in hopes of success in the Champion's League
By The Week UK Published
-
Thomas Tuchel to become next England football manager
Speed Read 'Divisive' German coach hopes to lead the men's team to victory
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Published
-
Manchester United and Mason Greenwood: duty of care or double standards?
Talking Point The 21-year-old footballer’s possible return has provoked an outpouring of dismay from supporters
By Jamie Timson Published
-
Liverpool 7 Man Utd 0: ‘welcome to Jürgen Klopp’s Liverpool 2.0’
feature Anfield’s ‘new front three’ were on fire in the humbling of their bitter rivals
By Mike Starling Published
-
Man Utd win the Carabao Cup: how Erik ten Hag has ‘transformed’ the Red Devils
feature United lifted their first silverware since 2017 after beating Newcastle at Wembley
By Mike Starling Published
-
Jim Ratcliffe: petrochemical billionaire turned Man Utd bidder
Why Everyone’s Talking About The Ineos owner is the first to publicly bid for the 13-time Premier League winners
By Richard Windsor Published
-
Reactions to Cristiano Ronaldo’s ‘explosive’ interview with Piers Morgan
feature Portugal captain feels ‘betrayed’ by Man Utd and believes he’s being forced out of the club
By Mike Starling Published
-
What next for Cristiano Ronaldo? How the relationship with Man Utd turned sour
Under the Radar Portugal star has ‘almost certainly’ played his last game for United as he is dropped for Chelsea clash
By Mike Starling Published