Chelsea could be set to be handed a major blow in the race to sign Inter Milan wide-man Ivan Perisic ahead of the summer. football.london understand that there is concrete interest from the Blues, who tried to sign the 33-year-old in the January transfer window.
The Croatia international, who has just one-year left on his current deal with the Nerazurri, featured 35 times for Simone Inzaghi's side in the Serie A this season, directly contributing towards 15 goals. His impressive displays in recent years have courted the interest of several top-flight clubs, though a switch to the Premier League has never materialised.
According to Sports Mediaset, Perisic has demanded a new three-year deal worth just under £100,000-per-week with Inter, but they've offered him two-year deal worth around £65,000-per-week instead. But, amid growing speculation regarding the Croatian's future, Fabrizio Romano has outlined that the Italian giants have improved their proposal in a bid to ward off interest.
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The report claims that Inter have offered Perisic a €5million-net-salary per-season (£4.2million) plus add-ons. Romano added that the wide-man will now hold a meeting with his agents before making a decision.
Though, despite Inter's last-ditch challenge to retain the Croatian's services, Perisic has publicly vented his frustration with the treatment he's received, with what has become a contract saga. He spoke on his dissatisfaction after a dazzling display in the Coppa Italia final against Juventus, which saw him score twice to lift the title.
"I don’t know anything yet," Perisic told Sports Mediaset, speaking on his future at the San Siro. "With important players, you don’t wait to the last minute - you ought to know that too."
Perisic operated in the wing-back role for Tottenham manager Antonio Conte at Inter. The Italian boss has previously praised him for his attitude and hard work, indirectly giving Chelsea the green light ahead of the summer.
"When I came to Inter Milan in the summer of 2019, my initial idea was that Perisic was an offensive defender because I know he has the characteristics of doing this," Conte said at the end of his title-winning season with Inter, via the Express.
"The coach can have all kinds of ideas, but he needs the players’ willingness to cooperate with his hard work. He was loaned to Bayern and came back with a different mentality.
"Perisic is an excellent player with outstanding physical strength. He is good at beating [his man]. He has the ability to play one-on-one. I need Perisic like this. He will keep because he has quality."
