Ivan Perisic is expected to leave Tottenham this winter.
“Hajduk Split still envision Perisic as their top target,” said Fabrizio Romano, a well-known European transfer market expert, on Wednesday. Split will do everything they can to get the deal done in the January transfer window.”
Perisic was a surprise signing for Tottenham ahead of the 2022-23 season. Determined to support Antonio Conte, Spurs decided to sign Perisic after his contract with Inter Milan expired. Perisic is a world-class player who has only played for top European clubs so far.
He grew up in the now-connected city of Split and played for Belgian giants Club Brugge before moving on to Dortmund. He also played for Wolfsburg, Inter Milan, and Bayern Munich. In his early career, he played as a winger, but began to establish himself as a wing-back well into his 30s.
Before joining Tottenham, Perisic won numerous trophies, including two German Bundesliga titles, a UEFA Champions League title, and an Italian Serie A title. He also played for the Croatian national team. He was a key part of Croatia’s World Cup runner-up and third-place finishes.
However, his move to Tottenham was not well received. Spurs fans were hoping for an attacking combination of Perisic and Son, but Conte was able to fit them into his tactics. He tactically sacrificed Son in order to utilize Perisic’s aggressiveness.
As a result, Son, who was the Premier League’s top scorer in the 2021-22 season, saw a sharp decline in his goals and began to be criticized for his lack of form. If he was going to be sacrificed, Perisic should have brought more than enough to the table, but he didn’t. The inconsistency between the two players was a source of controversy locally.
With Conte’s departure, Perisic’s future was unclear, but manager Enze Postecoglou kept him. He was able to play as a backup to Son Heung-min and, in an emergency, as a defender.
However, Perisic suffered a major injury during the season, rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament, and was eventually ruled out for the season. Perisic is under contract with Tottenham until the end of the season and could leave this winter. Split have always wanted to sign Perisic and have been trying to do so since this winter.
Tottenham would also want to get rid of Perisic, who is a high-paid player, even if they don’t receive a transfer fee. Perisic’s salary is the third highest in the world, behind only Tanguy Ndombele and Son Heung-min. Postecoglou has admitted that Perisic will not be playing for Tottenham for much longer. Split’s aggressive offense has increased the chances of Perisic leaving Tottenham early.