The transfer season is well upon us, and once again Manchester United are being linked with anyone who owns a pair of football boots. However, on this occasion, they are heavily tipped to sign Croatian international Ivan Perisic; who currently plays for Inter Milan. So will Ed Woodward and Jose Mourinho be able to work their magic in the coming weeks to secure his services?
Perisic has been a shining light in yet another disappointing year for Inter, who only managed a 7th place finish, and the fans will hope they can hang onto him amidst financial fair play problems. After a superb Euro 2016, where he managed to score 2 goals in 4 games, the former Wolfsburg man scored 11 goals and contributed 8 assists in the 2016/17 Serie A season.
The advantage he has over current Manchester United players such as Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial and Juan Mata is the fact that he is a genuine wide man who is naturally comfortable to play there. His style of the game is not too dissimilar of Ashley Young, when he first arrived at Old Trafford, as he likes to cut inside and counter attack with real pace. This type of player is exactly what Mourinho wants, and he will stop at nothing to get what he wants.
Despite being a true wide man, Perisic can also operate in a more advanced No. 10 role.
He is also no slouch in the air. Standing tall at 6ft 2 inches, the 28-year-old is not afraid to contest aerial duels with big defenders. This is another characteristic that the United manager likes judging by his use of Marouane Fellaini this season when he needs his side to dominate a game physically.
A move for Perisic will cost United a fee in the region of £45m. However, the transfer could become a problem if other clubs step up their interest in him as it is rumoured that Manchester City, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain want to bring Perisic to their club.
It is important that they bolster their squad accordingly after their return to the Champions League via their 2-0 win over Ajax last month, but it has to be the right investment. They will want to get the deals done sooner rather than later and preferably before the Super Cup final against Real Madrid on the of 8th August.
There are expected to be many ins and outs for United once again this transfer window, but this is to ensure that Jose Mourinho gets the team he wants. It is an important time for them as the supposed transition of the squad since Sir Alex Ferguson left cannot go on forever but Perisic would be an excellent addition to the team should Manchester United acquire his services.