by Michael Hawthorne
The Zlatan Ibrahimovic saga has continued throughout the summer and the latest news coming out of France is that Zlatan is free to leave PSG. Coming into the last year of his contract PSG are looking to cash in on the Swedish forward and he would be available for a cut price. His wage demands would be extravagant but surely it would be worth it to have a player as talented as himself in their squad. So where will he go? Surely at 33 he has so much to offer still to a top European club without considering the imminent bids from the MLS or China. Regarded among the best players in the world for a long time he will not be short of offers, so here is some clue as to where he could go.
AC Milan
Silvio Berlusconi the AC Milan president has publicly came out and said that Zlatan would be welcome back to the San Siro if he decides to leave by the end of the transfer window. Ever since the beginning of the summer Milan have been the leading club looking to capture his signature. With AC Milan signing Carlos Bacca and Luiz Adriano the question would be do they need another striker, but how could they turn down the opportunity to take their former striker back. The club is in a better financial position now than they have been for many years so paying the wages wouldn’t be an issue. The biggest question would be if Zlatan would rejoin his former employees though from his previous comments welcoming a return to Milan then this move could really be on the cards. Expect this to be the most likely destination of the Swedish favourite.
Arsenal
The talk over the last few weeks is that Arsenal need a striker – well surely they should look no further. Ibra is not the conventional type of player Arsenal sign; he is over 30, he carries an enormous ego, and he has high wage demands, but this signing would go down a storm with the fans. Arsenal would definitely get the best out of Ibrahimovic as they would be able to use his movements to get players in behind defences and with their quick passing style Zlatan would certainly thrive at the Emirates. Moving to Arsenal would be a long shot for most people but Wenger needs to assess what is best for the team especially competing in Europe and he ticks all the boxes. How extraordinary levels could Ozil and Sanchez achieve having someone like Ibra joining them in the Arsenal attack? This is a move that looks unlikely but with the weeks coming to an end in the transfer window it could push Arsene’s hands to go get him.
Manchester United
The need for Manchester United to get themselves another striker is very much evident after the first few games of the season. The club is known for paying out on high wages anyway so this wouldn’t be seen as an issue for the club. The biggest problem United could face with bringing in Zlatan is he is a big character and so is their manager; the ego’s could clash and they could end up in another difficult situation similar to the Di Maria one. The need for a striker is becoming a case of urgency for the club and this could push United to really pursue the signing of Zlatan. The forward would really add a touch of class to the team right now, as they seem to lack that game changing player which ultimately Ibra would be. Could see a possible move from United coming so watch this space.
The end of the transfer window will be very interesting and the destination of the controversial Swede will become big news. No doubt he would be a great addition to many clubs.
