Transfer News: Blow for Chelsea as rivals join race for 33-year-old Serie A ace

Tottenham join Chelsea in the race for Inter Milan star Ivan Perisic

According to ESPN, Tottenham are set to battle it out with Chelsea in the pursuit of Inter Milan winger Ivan Perisic who is set to be available on a free transfer in the summer.

The former Wolfsburg forward joined the Italian champions in 2015 and except for the one year he spent on loan in Munich. Perisic has been a key part of the Nerazzurri and has continued to impress this season as Simone Inzaghi’s side continues to push AC Milan for the Scudetto.

The Croatian has played a whopping 48 times for Inter this campaign, scoring nine goals and providing nine assists across all competitions. These numbers are pretty impressive, especially for a 33-year-old and it shows that Perisic still has a lot of legs left in him.

Chelsea have been reportedly keen on signing the player on a free transfer, but things have gotten a little tricky with Tottenham also said to be in the race for the player. Given that they are managed by former Inter boss Antonio Conte, it is not a threat we can dismiss.

Advantage Spurs?

Despite his age, Ivan Perisic is undoubtedly a quality player and will turn out to be a very shrewd utility player if we sign him. More so he will also add dynamism on the flanks.

The Croatian winger is extremely versatile, capable of filling in as a striker and also as a left wing-back. The Blues have struggled with squad depth this season, finding themselves extremely stretched at times and struggling to cope with injuries.

Signing Perisic could give them cover in 2-3 positions. However, the fact that Spurs are interested in signing the player could be a worrying factor for the Blues. The North London club might have an advantage over Chelsea when it comes to Perisic.

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Antonio Conte has worked with the Croatian winger during his time at Inter Milan and the familiarity factor could go a huge way in convincing Perisic to join Spurs over Chelsea. Whilst the Blues will not be missing out on a lot if the 33-year-old doesn’t join them, they will be hoping to convince him nevertheless.

This Perisic saga is promising to turn out to be something very interesting. It remains to be seen how it pans out but if the Blues manage to sign him, it’ll definitely turn out to be a worthy one.