Inter have reportedly scheduled a meeting with the representatives of Ivan Perisic to discuss the Croatian’s contract extension. As per Tuttosport (via SempreInter), the reigning Serie A title-holders will meet the veteran’s entourages later this month to negotiate a new deal.
Perisic’s current contract at Inter is due to expire at the end of the season. Even though recent reports suggested the Nerazzurri have no intention of extending the 33-year-old’s deal, they appear to have had a change of heart. The club hierarchy is now ready to offer the versatile forward a short-term extension at Meazza.
It is fair to admit that Perisic has worked his socks off to earn a new contract. The ex-Bayern Munich star has grown increasingly significant to Simone Inzaghi‘s tactical set-up. Mainly operating as a left wing-back, he has clocked up 21 appearances in Serie A this season, tallying five goals and one assist in the process.
Perisic was on the scoresheet as Inter fell to a heartbreaking 2-1 defeat to Milan in Saturday’s Derby della Madonnina. In addition to finding the back of the net, the long-serving Croatia international was an omnipresent figure in the front third, giving Davide Calabria a sizeable headache on the left-hand side.
But apart from his derby exploits, Perisic has been an indispensable first-team figure at Inter throughout the past two league campaigns. He has defied his age to establish himself as one of the most prolific wide players in Serie A, and it’s unsurprising that the Nerazzurri are assessing the possibility of extending his deal.
Given Perisic’s contractual uncertainty, Inter were long in the market for a new wide man. Eintracht Frankfurt’s Filip Kostic was the club’s preferred choice in the summer transfer window. However, after failing to strike a deal with the Germans, the Meazza chiefs turned to Robin Gosens in January.
The highly-rated left-back swapped allegiances late in the winter transfer window, with Inter forking out around €25m to capture his signature from Atalanta. But Gosens has yet to recover from a nasty hamstring injury that has kept him out of action since September. It means that Perisic is likely to enjoy plenty of game time in the upcoming fixtures against Roma and Napoli in the Coppa Italia and Serie A, respectively.