Transfer News: Tottenham leapfrog Chelsea in race for Ivan Perisic
According to the Independent, Chelsea are set to miss out on a transfer for Ivan Perisic with the Croatian supposedly having agreed on a two-year deal with Tottenham Hotspur.
The former Wolfsburg winger joined the Nerazzurri in 2015 and except for a solitary season on loan at Bayern Munchen, Perisic has had a fairly successful stint at the Giuseppe Meazza. He has proved to be a key player under various managers and has constantly produced the goods.
Even this season, despite his age, the Croatian has been vital to Simone Inzhagi’s team as they lost a close race to the Scudetto with AC Milan eventually winning the Serie A. The 33-year-old has played 49 times for the Italian tactician and has scored 10 goals and provided nine assists across all competitions.
The former Club Brugge man is out of contract with Inter in the summer and Chelsea were interested in bringing the veteran to Stamford Bridge but Perisic is said to be keen on making the switch to Tottenham and has already agreed on personal terms for the same.
Not an issue?
Tottenham may have already had the edge over Chelsea in the Ivan Perisic transfer race due to the fact that the player had previously played under Antonio Conte.
Whilst adding the Croatian to our ranks would have made a lot of sense, considering the economics of the deal and also the fact that Perisic would have offered cover in more than one position Chelsea are not set to miss out on much if they fail to land the Inter Milan winger.
We can always look for replacements in the market and turn to Cobham if we need cover for any of the positions. With the number of options we have to play on either wing, we will not have an issue with Perisic not coming. The Croatian could have been a strong option to have on the left flank.
He can play as a winger but if he was to be deployed as a left wing-back, then it would have raised question marks about either the Croatian’s role at the club or Ben Chilwell’s future at the Bridge.
Our priority right now should certainly be to reinforce the central defence which is extremely short of players. With Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger set to leave and Cesar Azpilicueta also contemplating an exit, it will be key for us to get in good replacements for the centre-back positions.
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A lot of work needs to be done to reinforce the squad in the upcoming summer. With Chelsea entering an era under new ownership, we do not know what to expect and all we can do is wait and watch.