Manchester United served blow in pursuit of Ivan Perisic

Manchester United have been served a huge blow in their pursuit of Ivan Perisic after the versatile forward was included in Inter’s squad for their pre-season tour of China.

Jose Mourinho earmarked Perisic as one of four priority signings this summer and it was thought the Premier League giants were closing in on a £44m deal for the 28-year-old.

The United manager wanted the Croatia international to join the rest of his squad in America before Inter fly to China on Tuesday, but Perisic is now expected to board the plane with the rest of Luciano Spalletti’s squad.

This doesn’t necessarily end United’s interest in Perisic but it will only add more time to a potential deal, which is likely to frustrate Mourinho and could even force the United boss to consider alternative options.

Perisic has just finished his best ever season in front of goal after playing a direct hand in 19 goals (11 goals, eight assists) in 36 appearances for Inter. However, of players that reached double figures for goals in Italy’s top-flight, Perisic had the worst conversion rate (10.6%).

For more stats on Ivan Perisic, click here to visit his WhoScored player page