Tottenham handed major Champions League incentive to complete Ivan Perisic transfer

Tottenham look set to announce their first signing of the summer next week. But it might not be who supporters were first thinking.

Southampton goalkeeper Fraser Forster has been heavily linked with a move to Spurs since the Premier League season ended, with talk of a medical ahead of a free transfer to Spurs. However, another played may have jumped to the front of the queue to sign for Antonio Conte's side now.

Croatian international Ivan Perisic is understood to be on the verge of also completing a free transfer to Spurs, with his contract at Inter Milan coming to an end. Perisic has worked with Conte before, when they both won the Serie A title with Inter in the 2020/21 campaign.

Ivan Perisic to Tottenham: What Conte, Mourinho and Inzaghi have said about 'complete' player

While there have been previous doubts about Conte's future, the feeling within Spurs is that the head coach is happy with the ambition being shown to push on next season and help him bring silverware to the club. He and technical director of football Fabio Paratici met in Italy on Friday to discuss transfer targets, and in a break from the norm at Tottenham it looks as if early signings will be the order of things, with Perisic to be the first of many.

The 33-year-old comes with a wealth of experience, not just at winning domestic titles, but in European competition too. Conte will want to challenge on all fronts next season, previously admitting that he wanted to be winning trophies, rather than just qualifying for the Champions League each season.

And Tottenham could get a lucky charm when signing Perisic from Inter Milan. Real Madrid won their 14th Champions League title with a 1-0 win over Liverpool on Saturday. In their team was former Spurs