Tottenham have confirmed the signing of Croatian international Ivan Perisic for free. The 33-year-old will join on a two-year contract when his contract expires at the end of June.
Perisic worked with Antonio Conte at Inter, where they won the Serie A 2020-21 title together, and turned down a new contract. His arrival deviates from Tottenham’s usual policy of signing younger players with a sale value and is another sign that they are giving their full support to Conte.
Perisic has also won league titles in Germany with Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich and has scored in a World Cup final. Conte will like its versatility. The coach deployed him as a left winger at Inter, but Perisic can also play as a winger, second striker or offensive midfielder.
He left Inter after seven years and posted on Instagram: “After 254 games, 55 goals, 49 assists, 3 trophies and 18,934 minutes spent on the field with this glorious shirt; my journey here has come to an end … To the team, to the staff, to all the employees, but most importantly to the fans: you will always have a special place in my heart “.
The signing is the start of what is expected to be a busy summer for the Spurs as they try to create a team that Conte believes he is capable of challenging in the Premier League and Champions League. He will withdraw most of the £ 150 million the owner, Enic, invested in the club last week, as well as the proceeds from the sale of players.
Conte wants at least six signings and Harry Winks, Steven Bergwijn, Giovani Lo Celso and Tanguy Ndombele are available to leave.
The arrival of Perisic may not be the only meeting with the Spurs who are interested in signing Christian Eriksen again with a free transfer. The Danish international, who also worked with Conte at Inter, is considering his future after a successful return to the Premier League with Brentford.
The Spurs have reached an agreement to sign 34-year-old goalkeeper Fraser Forster for free when his Southampton contract expires.