Perisic exit talk is over, claims Spalletti

Inter boss Luciano Spalletti claims there are no talks with any club for winger Ivan Perisic.

The Croatia international has been heavily linked with Manchester United but there has been no concrete development on any potential deal.

Perisic has been involved in Inter’s pre-season tour of China and Singapore despite the speculation over his future, with the 28-year-old producing a fine performance in his side’s 2-0 win over Bayern Munich in the International Champions Cup.

Spalletti says there was interest at the beginning of the transfer window for Perisic but, as there has been no follow-up bid, he considers the matter to be closed.

“Until now, there hasn’t been any important contact,” he told a news conference. “There was something you already know about at the beginning of the window. There was no follow-up and so, for me, the topic is over.

“It’s true what the journalists say: as time goes by, it becomes more and more difficult to replace him with another player. I will strongly oppose the sale of Perisic if an offer comes.”

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Inter’s victory over Bayern came after a narrow 1-0 win over Lyon and Spalletti believes his players are beginning to play close to their true level.

“I said in the beginning that the team had qualities that had to be shown,” he said. “That’s what we have been working on in the last couple of days.

“It’s clear that the team has underperformed in the past few months. It’s clear that there is more quality than was shown last year. That’s what we have been working towards.”

Inter have had a relatively quiet transfer window while city rivals AC Milan have spent close to €190million on a complete overhaul of their playing squad.

Spalletti, however, believes a challenge for the Serie A title could be beyond them as it will take time for the new players to adjust.

“Milan have certainly spent a lot,” he said. “I think teams like Juventus, Roma and Napoli have a better chance as they haven’t had many changes to their squad.

“[Vincenzo] Montella is a great coach and I’m sure he will do good job. The new players need to adjust and so it is difficult to say that whether they will compete for the Serie A title.”