Inter chief Giuseppe Marotta revealed Perisic has asked to leave the club but says there have been no offers as yet despite Arsenal boss Unai Emery confirming the Gunners’ interest in acquiring an attacking midfielder in the January window.
Having thrilled for Croatia at last year’s FIFA World Cup, the signing of Perisic might well excite Arsenal fans. But there is a reason Inter would entertain his departure.
The 29-year-old, who turns 30 this weekend, has not been able to repeat his sparkling form from Russia in Serie A this term and his statistics do not compare favourably to last season either.
With the help of Opta, we take a look at why Perisic and Inter are ready to part ways.
This time a year ago, Perisic was one of the first names on the team sheet for Inter. He started 21 of their first 21 games in the 2017-18 Serie A season. The same is not quite true this time around.
Even before sitting out Sunday’s defeat to Torino amid talk of a switch to Arsenal, Perisic has not always been relied on.
While the Nerazzurri’s involvement in the UEFA Champions League may be a factor – Perisic started all six group games – he has been limited to just 14 starts in the league, making 18 appearances in all.
Despite Matteo Politano and Keita Balde Diao still getting to grips with life at Inter, Perisic’s league minutes are down from 1890 at this stage last season to 1313.
This time a year ago, Perisic was one of the first names on the team sheet for Inter. He started 21 of their first 21 games in the 2017-18 Serie A season. The same is not quite true this time around.
Even before sitting out Sunday’s defeat to Torino amid talk of a switch to Arsenal, Perisic has not always been relied on.