Hajduk Split assistant sporting director Sasa Bjelanovic admits that the club would have preferred to see Ivan Perisic make the jump from Inter Milan to Manchester United in the summer.
A product of the Croatian club’s academy, the winger moved to France with Sochaux in 2006 before his career took him to clubs such as Wolfsburg, Borussia Dortmund and eventually his current destination Inter.
Another move was on the cards in the summer when Manchester United wanted him and the player was keen, but the Premier League giants failed to agree a fee with the Nerazzurri.
Bjelanovic says that it is a matter of pride for the club to see one of their former academy stars playing at a big club such as Inter, but has conceded that a move to Manchester United would have suited Hajduk.
A part of the transfer fee would have trickled down to the Croatian club and he admits that every penny matters for an outfit of their size and resources.
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“We are proud of the fact that he is playing at Inter”, Sasa Bjelanovic told Sky Italia.
“But in the summer we hoped that Manchester United would sign him.
“An international transfer would have guaranteed us a percentage of the solidarity fee and a few extra Euros would have been useful for a club of limited resources such as ours.”
Perisic signed a new contract with Inter last month and it is unclear whether Manchester United could return for him in the future.
