Bayern Munich has confirmed the signing of winger Ivan Perisic on a one-year loan deal from Italian giants Inter Milan, for a rumoured fee of £4.6 million.

The terms of the transfer also give the German side the option to make the deal a permanent one at the end of the season.

Perisic becomes manager Niko Kovac's fourth signing of the window, following the captures of young striker Jann-Fiete Arp from Hamburger SV and French defenders Theo Hernandez from Atletico Madrid and Benjamin Pavard from VfB Stuttgart, who both were part of the France squad that lifted the World Cup in Russia last year.

Glad to be back in Germany

Speaking to the official Bayern website, Ivan Perisic spoke about his delight at sealing his return to the Bundesliga.

He said: "I'm very glad to be back in Germany, Bayern are one of the biggest clubs in Europe.

"We want to go on the attack, not only in the Bundesliga and the DFB Cup, but also in the Champions League."

Croatian star Perisic had previously been linked with other top European clubs prior to signing a loan deal at the Allianz Arena, with the likes of Manchester United and Arsenal registering an interest in him.

No stranger to success

Bayern Munich will be the 30-year old's third German club, after previous spells with Borussia Dortmund and VfL Wolfsburg.

Perisic started off his professional career with FC Sochaux-Montbeliard in France, before spending two seasons with Club Brugge in Belgium where he scooped up the league's top golden boot and the Young Player of the Year. That success then resulted in him being signed by Jurgen Klopp for Dortmund in 2011.

Perisic was part of the Die Borussen side that shocked the continent by clinching a league and cup double in 2012, leaving Bayern as runners up in both competitions.

The winger then spent two seasons with Wolfsburg and got his hands on more silverware, winning the DFB Pokal for a second time in his career in 2015. Perisic then added the German Supercup to his list of honours later on that year.

Perisic moved to Italy late in the summer 2015 window with Inter for a fee of £15m, and despite scoring 40 goals in 163 appearances for I Nerazzurri, the club has not been able to stop Juventus' dominance domestically.

An established name on the continent

As well as making himself a household name in Germany, Ivan Perisic's exploits with his international team have also earned him further acclaim.

Capped 82 times by Croatia, the experienced winger has represented his country at EURO 2012, the 2014 World Cup, EURO 2016 and at the World Cup in Russia last year, where he played a pivotal part in his team's run to the final, where they were beaten 4-2 by France. 

Renowned for his industry and work rate as well as his technical ability, Perisic covered more ground than anyone else in Russia, running a total of 72.5 kilometres. 

The signing of the 30-year old for the coming season is a real coup for Niko Kovac, who will be expecting to lead Bayern to their eighth successive league title, despite strong competition from Borussia Dortmund last season.

Kovac will also be hopeful that Perisic can help his side re-establish themselves as a force to be reckoned with in the Champions League, with the last success in Europe's premier competition coming six years ago.

 

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