LONDON - Manchester United are confident of signing Ivan Perisic in a £44million deal, with the Croatia winger set to pull out of Inter Milan’s pre-season tour to China on Tuesday.
Perisic is desperate to move to Old Trafford and it is understood the clubs are close to agreeing a transfer fee of £39.5m plus £4.5m in add-ons. The 28-year-old left Inter’s training camp over the weekend and returned to Croatia for dental treatment on what was described as a tooth abscess.
United are keen to wrap up a deal quickly so Perisic does not have to travel to China.
Meanwhile, Liverpool midfielder Lucas Leiva looks set to join Lazio after the Serie A club posted a picture of the Brazilian having a medical on their official Twitter account on Monday.
British media reports said Liverpool had accepted a bid of £5 million for Lucas, who was pictured on Sunday holding a Lazio scarf at an airport where he was mobbed by fans.
He is Liverpool's current longest-serving player after 10 years on Merseyside but was left out of the squad for Friday's friendly draw with Wigan Athletic to sort out his future.
The 30-year-old started 19 games in all competitions last season and has made a total of 346 appearances - 247 in the Premier League - since arriving from Gremio in 2007.
💪🏻🚴🏻 Visite mediche in corso per @LucasLeiva87! pic.twitter.com/fY2VzfOtBF
— S.S.Lazio (@OfficialSSLazio) July 17, 2017
In other news, Middlesbrough have signed striker Britt Assombalonga from Nottingham Forest in a club-record £15m deal. The 24-year-old, who scored 14 Championship goals last season, is boss Garry Monk’s fifth summer buy.
Leicester City have offered Gylfi Sigurdsson around £125,000 a week in the hope he will join them instead of Everton.
The playmaker, 27, is set to leave Swansea and Everton are leading the chase, but Leicester’s wage offer is better.
Sigurdsson is still thought to favour linking up with Everton boss Ronald Koeman, while former club Tottenham are also in the hunt.