Diego Cavalieri

Italian journalist Giorgio Micheletti claims that Paris Saint-Germain winger Angel di Maria could aid the transfer of Inter Milan’s Ivan Perisic to former club Manchester United this summer.

The Argentina international has been a good hit during his time at Parc des Princes, but he could be heading for a fresh challenge in the Serie A this summer.

Speaking to Tuttomercatoradio, Micheletti revealed that United could get closer to the signing of Perisic, should Di Maria seal a potential move to San Siro this summer. The Argentine forward has been on the Nerazzurri’s radar since their Chinese takeover last year, and it is said that he has a verbal agreement in place to join the former Italian champions, he said: “For a while he has promised to Inter. It would be an interesting purchase and would increase the quality of the Nerazzurri. Although his arrival could free up Perisic to head to Manchester United.”

Jose Mourinho has been critical about the vast sums spent on normal players, and he is apparently reluctant to match Inter Milan’s £49m asking price for Perisic this summer. As a result, United’s pursuit of the Croatian international has stalled, and this will bring a sense of frustration for the manager, who is said to want another experienced attacker in his ranks.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan has emerged as an important player for United following his breakthrough in the second half of last season, but Mourinho is still on the hunt for a top-class attacker as he aims to take up the club higher up the ranks and potentially offer a strong challenge for the Premier League title.

Meanwhile, Di Maria has also been linked with a potential move to Barcelona after Paris Saint-Germain completed the signing of Barcelona forward Neymar for a world-record £198m fee earlier this month. Argentine compatriot Paulo Dybala is another on the Catalan shortlist for the summer, and it will be interesting to see as to who replaces Neymar in the transfer window.