Inter have agreed a €22m (£19.3m) fee with Lazio for Keita Balde, paving the way for Ivan Perisic to join Manchester United, reports Mediaset Premium, via Football Italia.
Jose Mourinho’s side have been locked in negotiations with Inter all summer but are now on the verge of concluding talks for Perisic after reportedly agreeing a €46m (£40.3m) fee with the Italian giants.
Inter are now in the process of wrapping up a deal to sign his replacement, which should accelerate the Croatia international’s transfer to Old Trafford before Luciano Spalletti’s side are due to leave for their pre-season tour of China on Tuesday.
Spalletti’s side, who have been completely outdone in the transfer market by city rivals AC Milan, have reportedly agreed a fee with Lazio for Keita after the Senegal international was heavily linked with a move to Milan and Juventus earlier this summer.
The official line was that the 22-year-old left Lazio’s training camp over the weekend and travelled to Milan to see his girlfriend, but now reports of negotiations with Inter have emerged and the Lazio ace is now on the verge of signing a five-year deal with their Serie A rivals.
Keita is coming off the back of his best ever season in front of goal after scoring six more league goals (16) than in his previous three campaigns combined. Not only that, but of those that scored at least 10 Serie A goals last term, only three players had a better conversion rate than the Lazio forward (22.9%).
For more stats on Keita Balde, click here to visit his WhoScored player page
