Zlatan Ibrahimovic has recently hinted that he may be willing to entertain contract offers from Premier League clubs in the summer, as his contract at Paris Saint-Germain is up in July. The 34-year-old is by no means waning and would be an exciting edition to the Premier League. Is this just a ploy to broker a new contract at PSG or could he be serious about a move? If so, where would he go?
Ibrahimovic suggested that he may be open to a move to England’s top flight. The messages in his post-match interviews after the Chelsea game were rather cryptic and open to interpretation. But when asked whether he would consider a move to the Premier League, he responded with, “Let’s just say I am in good shape.”
This could all be mind games, with the Swedish striker trying to force PSG into negotiating a new deal. It seems absurd to think that the French champions would allow a player of Ibrahimovic’s quality to just walk out for free at the end of the season. He is one of the main reasons why PSG are around odds of 9/1 to win the competition in the Champions League betting before their second leg against Chelsea. And if the club were to let him go, who would they bring in to replace him? There are not many strikers of his calibre in the world, and the ones who are may not be so easy to prise from their current clubs.
It was expected that Ibrahimovic would eventually join David Beckham’s yet-to-be-named MLS franchise as a marquee signing and, if he was to join an English club, it may only be for a year. The huge striker has enjoyed success all over Europe, but his time at PSG has seen his most prolific displays. His record of 98 goals in 112 league appearances is amazing and whoever gets him next year will most certainly be rewarded with plenty of goals.
If he goes to England, which club would he go to? There are a number of ifs and buts at the moment, however, let’s just say, if Jose Mourinho joins Manchester United in the summer, Ibrahimovic may be seduced by a move to the red side of Manchester. This would see the Swede reunited with an old managerial friend, to join forces against a common managerial foe in Pep Guardiola. If this happens, it could be not only an epic managerial showdown between two legendary figures in the game, it may also see the forces once again switching in Manchester between these two modern powerhouses.
The thing is, if Ibrahimovic were to join the Red Devils, he would not have Champions League football, unless by some miracle United manage to win the Europa League this season. Oddly enough for a player of his prestige, he has never won the Champions League. Staying at PSG may be his best chance to do this. If they don’t win it this year, they are certainly building up towards a win in the near future. But they would need the formidable striker. Surely PSG will soon offer him at least another year on his contract, and the dreams of watching this special player in the Premier League will be over.
