What's the story
In conjunction with the course of their business in the recent transfer windows, Manchester United are ready to break the bank again this summer. And according to the Mirror, the Red Devils' executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward is staying back in England in hopes of completing the signings of Ivan Perisic from Inter Milan and Eric Dier from Tottenham Hotspur.
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Perisic has established himself as one of the best out and out wingers in world football at the moment with his performances for both Inter and Croatia. He was one of the stand-out performers in the Inter Milan side in the last season which turned out to be quite disappointing for the San Siro outfit.
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On the other hand, Dier, at 23 is one of the brightest prospects in English football right now. He is a versatile player and Mauricio Pochettino has employed him in three different roles, namely as a defensive midfielder, a fullback and a centre back.
United are also reportedly exploring their options after the prospect of signing Nemanja Matic from Chelsea came to grief.
The heart of the matter
United have been in the hunt for a winger who can utilise the flanks and have been linked with Perisic since the summer transfer window opened. The Old Trafford unit having been reliant on fullback Antonio Valencia's pace and stamina to raid the right wing and swing in crosses for the likes of Zlatan or Rashford to pounce upon. With Anthony Martial being rather inconsistent down the left flank, United are direly in need of landing a pacey winger who can go full throttle in counter attacks.
The 28-year-old, like most of his contemporaries, likes to cut in from the flanks. But what sets him apart is his willingness to rush as far as the corner flag and send in balls into the box. In the 2016-17 campaign in Serie A, the 28-year-old Croatian picked up 11 goals and eight assists. He created 61 chances in 36 appearances for Inter in Serie A.
United have reportedly had two of their bids for the Croatian international turned down by Inter who are said to be holding out for a fee of £48m. The Mancunians whose latest bid for the Croatian stands at £45m expects the sum to be convincing enough for Inter Milan to send the winger to Manchester.
Mourinho has also been combing the market for a defensive midfielder who can step up to the heart of their midfield when Michael Carrick leaves at the end of the year. United, who have had their previous approaches for Eric Dier rebuffed, have been told that the Englishman is not for sale by Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy.
The England international is believed to be open to a move to Old Trafford and knows he will be deployed as a defensive midfielder under the Portuguese. The youngster who is a good passer of the ball and impressive with it at his feet has had his tenure at midfield cut short following the arrival of Victor Wanyama and has been playing as a defender ever since at White Hart Lane. One of the other talking points when it comes to Eric Dier is that United will be willing to double the youngster's wage if he joins them.
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Author's take
Manchester United is one of the richest clubs in the world. They’ve already spent over a £100m on the deals of Romelu Lukaku and Victor Lindelof has proved time and again the money is not going to be a stumbling block in any of the deals they want to be done. There is no question when it comes to the quality that Perisic and Dier could add to the United squad.
