Inter Milan will consider 'difficult to reject' offers for Manchester United target Ivan Perisic

KEY POINTS

Red Devils have been attempting to complete a deal for Croatian winger for several weeks now.
Perisic flew to China for Inter's pre-season tour after failure to secure agreement.
Luciano Spalletti says Nerazzurri would need to find a "valid alternative", with Keita Balde Diao said to be in the frame.

Inter Milan are still planning to start the 2017-18 season with Ivan Perisic in tow, although manager Luciano Spalletti has conceded that the club will consider big offers for the Manchester United target provided they are able to source an adequate replacement.

Jose Mourinho revealed on Thursday that he was targeting the addition of a new defensive midfielder and a winger before the end of the summer transfer window following the respective arrivals of Victor Lindelof and Romelu Lukaku, with Perisic believed to head a list of targets that also includes the likes of Tottenham Hotspur's Eric Dier and Nemanja Matic of Chelsea.

United were said to be hoping to seal a deal for the Croatian international before Inter flew to China for their pre-season tour last week.

However, a refusal on United's part to meet a lofty £49m ($63.8m) asking price meant that he eventually travelled to the Far East as planned.

Perisic started the Nerazzurri's opening friendly against Schalke in Changzhou and appeared as a half-time substitute during a subsequent 1-0 win over Lyon at the Nanjing Olympic Sports Center on Monday.

He also looks set to feature against both Bayern Munich and Chelsea in Singapore over the coming days.

"He's an important player in the team and we're counting on him to start the new season," Spalletti was quoted as saying by the BBC. "Sure, there were rumours, but the status quo is that we want to keep Perisic.

"Having said that, if someone comes in with a very difficult offer to reject, then we'll consider that. But, of course, we'll need to find a valid alternative for Perisic as well."

Inter have set their sights on Keita Balde Diao as a potential replacement for Perisic, although it has been suggested that their initial €25m offer for the player was rebuffed. Juventus are rumoured to be the Senegalese's preferred next club, yet it appears that Lazio are not willing to negotiate with the reigning Serie A champions.