Inter Milan chief executive Giuseppe Marotta has confirmed Ivan Perisic is leaving the club for a "new experience in the Premier League" as the Croatian winger closes in on a move to Tottenham Hotspur.
Perisic, 33, will leave Inter when his contract expires at the end of June and was in London on Monday to undergo a medical at Tottenham. According to reports, the Croatia international will sign a two-year contract with Spurs, where he will be reunited with former Inter manager Antonio Conte.
Perisic, who can operate either as a winger or at wing-back, played more than 250 games for Inter and won the Serie A title under Conte in 2021. He also scored twice in the Coppa Italia final earlier this month to guide the Nerazzurri to victory over Juventus.
Perisic spent the 2019/20 season on loan at Bayern Munich, where he won the Bundesliga, German Cup, and Champions League treble, and in 2018 helped Croatia finish runners-up at the World Cup in Russia.
"There is regret," Marotta told reporters on Monday. "But he wanted to try a new experience in the Premier League.
"We were not in a position to make better offers, simply his choice was based on a different future than the current one. Maximum respect for that and a big thank you to him as well."
As Perisic leaves, Inter will hope to replace his attacking ability with Paulo Dybala, who is leaving Juventus when his contract expires next month. Inter are favourites to land the 28-year-old Argentine forward, and are also linked with a move for former striker Romelu Lukaku, 12 months after the Belgian left for a return to Chelsea.
"Dybala and Lukaku? From our side there is no anxiety, we don't have to do anything in a hasty way," Marotta said. "The hope is that Dybala can play with us."
Inter finished the Serie A season as runners-up, two points behind rivals AC Milan, and were defeated in the Champions League Round of 16 by eventual finalists Liverpool.
Tottenham 2021/22 season ratings
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GOALKEEPERS: Hugo Lloris - 6. Signed a new contract in January that runs until June 2024. Has a tendency to play his defenders into trouble on occasion but shot-stopping is still elite level. Getty Images -
Pierluigi Gollini - 6. Lloris' understudy has performed capably during the cup competitions without giving any real indication he is ready to usurp the club captain any time soon. EPA -
DEFENDERS: Matt Doherty - 6. His season was brought to a premature end following an injury against Aston Villa in April. Shame, because he was actually beginning to show the kind of form that prompted Spurs to sign him from Wolves. Getty Images -
Sergio Reguilon 6 - Injuries have disrupted the Spanish wing-back's campaign and Ryan Sessegnon's emergence will make for an interesting battle between the two next term. PA -
Emerson Royal - 5. The Brazilian can often be found wanting defensively. Too much Serge Aurier and not enough Kieran Trippier. Reuters -
Ben Davies - 7. Deployed more often as part of a back three than full-back and the Welshman has excelled. Arguably his best season as a Tottenham player. Getty Images -
Cristian Romero - 8. Spurs' best signing of 2021/22. Romero loves the physical challenge and is comfortable enough on the ball to initiate and join in attacks. AFP -
Eric Dier - 8. Has finally nailed down his position as a central defender and like Davies, has flourished under Conte's management. Getty Images -
Davinson Sanchez - 6. Largely seen as cover for Romero, Davies and Dier. The Colombian has great recovery but that's often called upon because his positional sense is poor. Getty Images -
Joe Rodon - 4. The Welshman has found game time hard to come by under both Nuno and Conte this term. Would probably benefit from a loan spell away from the club. Getty Images -
Japhet Tanganga - 5. Lacks the cunning of Romero and is guilty of being overly aggressive in games. Ball distribution is not up to the level of his fellow defenders either. AFP -
Ryan Sessegnon - 6. Spurs fans are still waiting to see the best of Sessegnon but the former Fulham man has definitely improved on last season's effort. Will be interesting to see if he can really push Sergio Reguilon for the left-sided berth next term. Getty Images -
MIDFIELDERS: Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg - 7. The Dane does the nuts and bolts of the job well but has looked to join in with attacks more under Conte. Spurs' Mr Dependable. Getty Images -
Oliver Skipp - 7. Arguably Spurs' best performer before injury curtailed his season. Shown he has the guile and gumption to perform in the Premier League. -
Harry Winks - 4. His ability to cover ground in defensive errors remains impressive but needs to do much more in possession. EPA -
Rodrigo Bentancur - 7. The Uruguayan joined in January from Juventus and is already a huge improvement on the man he replaced - Giovani Lo Celso - who was shipped out on loan to Villarreal. Bentancur can look pure silk at times. AFP -
Steven Bergwijn - 6. While he is unlikely to be a first-team regular, the Dutch international will forever hold cult status among Tottenham fans for his two injury-time goals against Leicester that turned a 2-1 defeat into a 3-2 win. AP Photo -
Lucas Moura - 6. Things just haven't quite clicked for the Brazilian. Few players work harder with the ball but Moura is just as likely to run down a blind alley as carve open a defence. Reuters -
Dejan Kulusevski - 8. The Swede has established himself as a fan favourite after hitting the ground running following a loan move from Juventus. Has added an extra attacking dimension to Spurs' play and signed off his campaign with two goals in the 5-0 demolition of Norwich. Getty Images -
Son Heung-min - 9. Another prolific season for the South Korean, whose haul of 23 league goals saw him share the Golden Boot with Liverpool's Mohamed Salah. Son has arguably become more important to Spurs than Kane. Getty Images -
Harry Kane - 8. Struggled for form after seeing a move to Manchester City fall through last summer. Once again formed a productive partnership with Son to finish the season with 17 league goals to fire Spurs to fourth place. Getty Images -
MANAGERS: Nuno Espirito Santo 4 - After starting the campaign with a treble of 1-0 wins to top the league, the wheels fell off spectacularly for the Portuguese and a run of four defeats in six games saw him sacked on November 1, 2021. PA -
Antonio Conte 8 - Spurs were ninth when the Italian took over in November and then seven points adrift of fourth when they lost to Burnley in February, but 10 wins from their next 14 games saw them overhaul Arsenal, Manchester United and West Ham to claim fourth spot. PA
