What’s the story?
Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis has expressed his desire in signing Manchester United star Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The Italian club’s chief said this during an interview with writer and former mayor of Rome, Walter Veltroni.
The Swedish striker moved to Old Trafford as a free agent after his contract at Paris Saint-Germain expired. Since joining United, Ibrahimovic has already scored 20 goals in all competitions for the Red Devils and is a wanted man for the Serie A outfit.
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"My dream signing? I always try to go forward with what I have," De Laurentiis said in an interview with Veltroni.
"One that I would like, though, is that giant who is at Manchester United now. I had him as a dinner guest in Los Angeles and he's incredibly nice, even though he always seems angry. You know the one I'm talking about, right?"
In case you didn’t know...
Ibrahimovic has played for numerous clubs in his career and has won 13 league titles since 2001. He has played for three Serie A clubs and was successful during his time in Italy.
Juventus signed the striker from Ajax in 2004 and he won the league twice in his two years with the Old Lady. He left the Turin club after the match-fixing scandal and made a switch to Inter Milan and won three league titles in a row with the Nerazzurri.
At Inter, he played under Jose Mourinho and was impressed by the former Real Madrid and Chelsea manager’s coaching and man management skills. This played a key role in helping Manchester United sign him last summer.
Ibrahimovic joined AC Milan on loan from Barcelona in 2010 and won the league title with the San Siro outfit and made his move permanent in the summer of 2011.
The heart of the matter
When Ibrahimovic made a move to Old Trafford, he was handed a one-year contract with an option to further extend it by one more year. Mourinho has already admitted that the 20-time English champions will exercise this right in order to keep the striker at United for the next season.
The striker’s agent, Mino Raiola, earlier admitted that his client is considering ending his playing career in Naples. The ball is in the former Swedish international’s court and it should be seen whether he will continue with his current employers.
What’s next?
Ibrahimovic has been vital in the Red Devils’ resurgence since October and losing the talismanic striker could prove to be detrimental to the team’s goal of winning another Premier League title.
Also Read: Perfect timing makes Zlatan Ibrahimovic the perfect signing
Mourinho has offered a contract extension to the Swede and we will have to wait and watch if Ibrahimovic is going to stay another year in Manchester and target another league title in a different league
Sportskeeda’s Take
Ibrahimovic and Manchester United’s hopes of winning a title this year look very slim. The Swede should continue with his current employers for one more season and win the Premier League title with Manchester United, cementing his reputation as one of the greats of modern football.
