According to respected BBC Sport reporter David Ornstein, Arsenal are looking to sign Inter star Ivan Perisic on loan with an option to buy.
Ornstein is regularly responsible for breaking Gunners news and has undoubtedly established himself as a trusted source for transfer talk.
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With that in mind, he has suggested that Arsenal are keen to sign Perisic before the deadline this month, with a loan bid coupled with a £35m option to buy set to be launched to sign the Croatian international, as per his tweet below.
Perisic has established himself as a key figure for club and country in recent years, playing a key role in getting Inter back into the Champions League last season while helping guide Croatia to the World Cup final last summer.
However, he does turn 30 next month and hasn’t been as effective for the Italian giants so far this season, having bagged just three goals and five assists in 25 appearances, which does represent a drop off from the tallies that he has had in recent campaigns.
In turn, that perhaps should raise question marks for Arsenal, but as per the tweet below from Ornstein, it seems as though they have pressed ahead with their plans to sign Perisic regardless.
Meanwhile, as noted by the Manchester Evening News, the winger has also been long linked with a move to Man Utd, and so it remains to be seen whether or not Arsenal’s reported approach is now met with movement from Old Trafford to offer competition for his signature.
While the negatives are detailed above, Perisic does offer an attacking threat with his pace and movement in the final third, while offering genuine width too. Further, his work ethic and commitment has seen him play a key role defensively too, and so perhaps along with his versatility, he could play a key role for Unai Emery between now and the end of the season and perhaps even beyond that.
Arsenal have made an approach to sign Inter Milan winger Ivan Perisic. #AFC want loan with £35m option to buy. 29yo open to #Inter exit. Fits plan of versatile midfielder e.g. Suarez (still possible) / Nkunku + winger. Unclear if injuries mean defender wanted but Sokratis not bad
— David Ornstein (@bbcsport_david) January 26, 2019
