Tottenham Hotspur have completed the signing of Croatian winger Ivan Perisic on a free transfer.
Spurs confirmed the signing in a statement on their website on Tuesday.
Perisic, 33,who can play as a wing-back and a forward, has signed a two-year contract to become one of Antonio Conte’s first signings of the summer window.
Inter Milan chief executive Giuseppe Marotta admits he was keen to keep Perisic this summer, but was unable to convince him to extend his stay in Milan.
The statement read: “We are delighted to announce the transfer of Ivan Perisic.
“The vastly experienced Croatia international will join the Club on 1 July following the expiration of his contract at Internazionale and has agreed a deal that will run until 2024.
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“A player with multiple winners’ medals under his belt, Perisic began his career in the youth academies of Hajduk Split and Sochaux before a short loan spell at KSV Roeselare in Belgium.
“In 2009, he joined Club Brugge where, in only his second season, he was the league’s top scorer and was named Belgium’s Footballer of the Year.
“A move to Germany followed in 2011 with Ivan winning the Bundesliga and German Cup (DFB-Pokal) in his first season at Borussia Dortmund, before adding a second DFB-Pokal and the DFL-Supercup following a move to VfL Wolfsburg in 2013.
“Two-and-a-half years later, Perisic signed for Inter, starting games and scoring regularly for the Italian club until he returned to Germany with a season-long loan at Bayern Munich in 2019/20, where he became a UEFA Champions League winner as well as lifting a second Bundesliga and third DFB-Pokal title of his career as part of Bayern’s treble-winning side.
“He returned to Inter ahead of the following season where he played under Antonio Conte, showing his versatility by performing as a wing-back as well as a forward as the Nerazzurri won the Serie A title.
“He continued his fine form into the 2021/22 season, registering 10 goals and nine assists in all competitions on the way to winning the Coppa Italia and Supercoppa Italiana. He also scooped Serie A’s Goal of the Month award for his strike against Bologna in April, with Inter finishing as runners-up in the final domestic standings.
“At international level, Perisic has made 113 appearances for his country to date, scoring 32 goals. An ever-present for his national team, he played a key role in Croatia’s route to the World Cup final in Russia in 2018 – the first in the country’s history. He scored in the final, but his side finished as runners-up to Hugo Lloris’ France.”
