Croatia's Ivan Perisic - Barcelona's alternative to Nolito?

He's one of the stars of the European Championships. At 27, and after a complicated year in Milan, Ivan Perisic has been one of the best attackers at the tournament in France. It's provoked many clubs to look into his current contractual situation, including Barcelona, who are keeping a close eye on the players standing out at Euro 2016. 

The Croatian, who joined Inter last summer from Wolfsburg, is a key part of his Ante Cacic's 4-2-3-1 formation. Protected by Badelj and Modric, Perisic plays to the left of the attacking trio, with Brozovic on the right and Rakitic as a No.10. He has a great understanding with the Barcelona midfielder, something which would carry some weight in the event that Barça miss out on Nolito and fail to renew Neymar's contract. 

Perisic had already shone against Turkey and Czech Republic, giving Gonul and Kaderabek torrid times respectively, and against Spain he was his team's star. He started the game on the right and Jordi Alba had to be at his best to keep his attacking runs in check. However, when he moved to the left, he became a genuine nightmare for Juanfran. 

Just before the break, he brilliantly passed the Atletico defender and crossed for Kalinic, who took advantage of the chance, getting in front of Sergio Ramos and beating David de Gea. The best was still to come. In the second half, now with more space, Perisic was at this best. It was his run and finish, at De Gea's near post, which earned Croatia the win and condemned Spain to a round-of-16 tie with Italy. 

Perisic embodied the role of a classic winger - he's quick, skilful and can beat a man - with the added bonus of being versatile, which is indispensable when it comes to adapting to the demands of a team at the top level. A few weeks ago he revealed he was unhappy with his season at Inter, who missed out on the Champions League plaes.

With a market value of 25 million euros, he could become an in-demand player this summer. In the Premier League there's interest, such as from Liverpool. Barça are also keeping an eye on things, although for the moment he's just Plan B to Nolito. As the tournament evolves, things could change.