Bayern Munich are reportedly close to landing the signature of Ivan Perisic from Inter Milan after their lengthy pursuit of Leroy Sane ended. Sane was widely touted to make the move to the Bavarian giants before the transfer deadline in Germany and reports even indicated that Bayern could be prepared to break their transfer record to land the former Schalke 04 graduate.

However, that appears unlikely after the attacker suffered an anterior cruciate ligament damage during the recent Community Shield clash for Manchester City against Liverpool, which has ruled him out for the next six months at the least. According to Bild, the German champions have decided against continuing their interest in the Germany international, considering they are eager to pursue a wide player, who can make an instant impact with the team.

The same publication reveals that they have shifted the attention towards signing Ivan Perisic from Inter Milan, who has seemingly fallen out-of-favour under new boss Antonio Conte. The Croatia international has been an influential player out wide for the Nerazzurri over the past three seasons, but he has not quite suited the new head coach, who prefers to play with wing-backs.

Bayern recently had a wake-up call during the German Super Cup clash against Borussia Dortmund where they were beaten by a 2-0 score. Following the game, Robert Lewandowski urged the club to pursue more senior players to enhance the team’s performances and reports indicate that Perisic could be accompanied by compatriot Mandzukic at the Allianz Arena.

Mandzukic, who spent two seasons with Bayern between 2012 and 2014, has apparently been deemed surplus to requirements by the Bianconeri, who are aiming to pursue another young marksman. Mauro Icardi has been recently touted as the ideal candidate, though the club have yet to make progress with the Nerazzurri in terms of the transfer agreement. Elsewhere, Bayern are likely to land Perisic on a season-long loan with the option to buy for around £23.5m next summer.