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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Sport
Ben Burrows

Ivan Perisic Arsenal transfer: Inter Milan chief admits 'it is difficult to keep players that don't want to stay'

Inter Milan admit that it will be "difficult" to keep Ivan Perisic at the club but insist that Arsenal are yet to present them with any kind of offer.

The Croatian has been linked with a loan move to north London before Thursday's transfer deadline and put in a formal request to leave over the weekend.

Perisic was left out of the squad to play Torino at the weekend with chief executive Giuseppe Marotta admitting they have a job on their hands to keep hold of the midfielder.

"It is difficult to keep players that don’t want to stay but no offer has arrived yet so therefore the prerequisite for a transfer simply isn’t there," he told Sky Sport Italia .

LIVE: Latest updates from the January transfer window

"This also happens at other teams, I am a supporter of a restrictive transfer window, but with the fact that it closes on the 31st [ of January], a lot of players wish to leave their clubs."

Manager Luciano Spalletti is resolute the 29-year-old won't leave on loan this month.

“It’s quite simple," he said on Sunday. "Players can say what they want, but they are employees, they have signed contracts and in order to leave, they need someone willing to pay for them.

“You can’t leave for free and with your salary paid by someone else. If, as Beppe Marotta said, he doesn’t want to play, then clearly he’ll be left out.

“That’s not a problem for me. Someone who cannot contribute to the team has to stay out.”

Arsenal look set to be one of the busiest clubs this week with loan deals for Perisic, Barcelona's Denis Suarez and PSG's Christopher Nkunku said to be ongoing.

Keep up to date with all the latest transfer news, rumours and done deals throughout the January window​

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