Manchester United are yet to launch an official bid for Inter Milan midfielder Ivan Perisic but the ‘interest is there’ – according to the sporting director of the Italian club Piero Ausilio.
United are set to battle it out with Chelsea for the Croatian wide player’s signature this summer, although Ausilio admitted he is determined to keep him at the San Siro.
The club are yet to appoint a manager following the departure of Stefano Pioli, with the new boss likely to be handed a say on whether the 28-year-old remains in Italy.
Sportsmail revealed on Sunday that Chelsea had made an enquiry over Perisic after their FA Cup final defeat by Arsenal at Wembley, but Inter are said to be holding out for a staggering £48million.
United have made the winger a top target this summer, but they face a fight with Chelsea as Antonio Conte looks to bolster his squad ahead of a return to the Champions League next season.
Inter director Ausilio told Premium Sport: ‘[United] haven’t made us an official offer for Perisic but their interest is there. We want to improve Inter and this is why we do not have any sellable or un-sellable players as of now.
‘We know that we already have many important players within our roster like Perisic and before we decide to sell him, we have to think about what’s best for Inter.
‘For me we have an as good squad or maybe even a better squad than most of the teams who finished ahead of us. We don’t need all that much, we will certainly make some moves but we will first have to see what our new coach will want.’
Perisic starred in what may have been his final Inter appearance, helping the side to end a disappointing Serie A campaign on a high with a 5-2 win over Udinese on Sunday.
He scored his 11th goal of the season, and set up further strikes for Marcelo Brozovic and Eder during a comfortable outing at the San Siro.
Perisic, who joined Inter from Wolfsburg in 2015, underwhelmed during a two-year stint under Jurgen Klopp at Borussia Dortmund and has produced some of his finest moments in international football.
He has found the back of the net for Croatia at both a World Cup and European Championship, and impressed at Euro 2016 where he scored a winning goal against Spain.
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