Zlatan hints at move to United

21 February 2016 - 02:00 By MATT LAW

Zlatan Ibrahimovic has left the door open to the possibility of joining an English Premier League club during the new season in a move that will alert José Mourinho as he plans how to revamp Manchester United's squad if, as expected, he lands the Old Trafford job. Swedish striker Ibrahimovic is in the final months of his Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) contract and is widely expected to quit France at the end of the season.French sources claim he has not taken up the lease on his flat in Paris, which, like his contract, runs out in the summer and a move to Miami is believed to be in the pipeline with the 34-year-old buying an apartment there.PSG's Qatari owners are in talks to buy a stake in David Beckham's Miami Major League Soccer (MLS) franchise, which Ibrahimovic is expected to join with the club aiming to start playing in the MLS in 2018.story_article_left1That leaves Ibrahimovic needing a new home for one season before he can start playing in Miami and Mourinho will consider offering him a deal to join United if he succeeds Louis van Gaal as manager.Ibrahimovic made a pointed effort to speak to English journalists after PSG's Champions League victory over Chelsea on Tuesday night and, asked if he could play in England before he retires, said: "I have another three months here and then what will happen? Big things will happen. Let's see what happens."Pressed on whether the Premier League is an attractive option, he cryptically added: "Let's just say I am in shape."Mourinho has remained close friends with Ibrahimovic since managing him for a year at Inter Milan, when the Italian club won the 2008-09 Serie A title and the forward finished as the league's top scorer with 25 goals. The pair regularly communicate.There is no effort on either side to disguise their admiration for each other, with Ibrahimovic even remarking after PSG's last-16 first-leg victory over Chelsea that "he [Mourinho] should have been here".Ahead of the match, in which he scored, Ibrahimovic said: "I think everybody will miss Mourinho in the game. But I believe he will be back soon in football and if you are a little patient you will soon see him managing another club."Mourinho likes to shake up his squads by signing a proven winner or big character and Ibrahimovic falls into both of those categories. He currently earns £250000 a week at PSG.- The Daily Telegraph, London..

There’s never been a more important time to support independent media.

From World War 1 to present-day cosmopolitan South Africa and beyond, the Sunday Times has been a pillar in covering the stories that matter to you.

For just R80 you can become a premium member (digital access) and support a publication that has played an important political and social role in South Africa for over a century of Sundays. You can cancel anytime.

Already subscribed? Sign in below.



Questions or problems? Email helpdesk@timeslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00.