Mourinho delaying Ivan Perisic deal until finding out how he reacts to being snubbed for months

Manchester United's pursuit of Ivan Perisic is a transfer rumour that has continually dragged on throughout the summer and, finally, it appears we now know why.

The Croatian winger has for months been touted as one of Jose Mourinho's top targets to strengthen his team, with numerous bids reported since the end of the season. Many pundits and journalists have questioned the wisdom of failing to seal a deal for such a clear target, but information leaked by Manchester United sources today revealed that the delays in question are all part of Mourinho's plan. According to sources, while the former Chelsea coach is entirely convinced by Perisic's technical ability, he is keen to see how the Inter Milan attacker reacts to being snubbed for months on end.

Testing his resolve

Using techniques he has honed most recently on Luke Shaw and Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Mourinho is reportedly closely monitoring how Perisic copes with being consistently ignored by a manager who clearly wants to sign him. "Some people appear to think that Jose has ended his interest in Ivan, but that couldn't be further from the truth," said an unnamed member of the club's staff this afternoon. "This is merely the latest and final stage of the scouting process: gauging the reaction to being ghosted by the manager for an extended period of time." Sources added that the likelihood of the deal now depends entirely on how the 28-year-old behaves over the next two weeks. "This is the important part now. If Ivan is calm, works hard and stay patient, the deal will happen. However, if he gets in a huff and releases a statement about getting mixed messages, Jose will know he's not the player for us and will probably have him banned from Old Trafford for life."