Paris Saint-Germain supremo Zlatan Ibrahimovic has revealed he wishes he had worked for Jose Mourinho longer than the season the pair spent together at Inter Milan.

Ibrahimovic led the Nerazzurri to Serie A success under Mourinho‘s tutelage before being shipped off to Barcelona in a part-exchange deal for Samuel Eto’o. He struggled at the Camp Nou (albeit while winning five trophies) before securing titles with AC Milan and current club PSG.

Zlatan makes his way to Stamford Bridge for the French side’s Champions League round-of-16 second leg against Mourinho‘s Chelsea on Wednesday, a match against the manager he wishes he had spent more time with. 

“We worked together for one year at Inter,” Ibrahimovic told Telefoot, via Rohan Banerjee of MailOnline. “The feeling was great between us and my only regret is that we were together for only one year.”

These comments, combined with quips from Ibrahimovic‘s agent, Mino Raiola, have led to speculation that he could one day sign for Chelsea, per Jamie Anderson of the Daily Star. Raiola expects the Swedish striker to continue playing for the better part of the next decade, although he hints it may not be with PSG:

We struck a deal. He has worked for me for 15 years. Now, he’s going to work his last eight years for me. That means his career could last another eight years. He’s in great shape. I don’t know if he’s going to stay at Paris Saint-Germain for eight years, but he can play until he’s 42-43 years old.

Ibrahimovic‘s goalscoring prowess was highlighted by Squawka:

Raiola says Ibrahimovic is “happy in Paris” but that “every summer we see what happens.” That leaves the door open to any potential suitors that fancy a powerful, technically astute finisher who is capable of winning any match.

B/R UK’s Ryan Bailey and Jonathan Johnson recently discussed the fact that Ibrahimovic needs to do more during the second-leg tie against Chelsea, however:

Rumours of a potential transfer arrive alongside another unlikely move, as Liverpool’s Raheem Sterling continues to be linked to the club, per Jack Watts of the Daily Star. Watts suggests Sterling’s failure to sign a new contract outlines Chelsea as “shock candidates” and “joint-favourites” for his signature alongside Real Madrid, with bookmakers cutting his price to 5-2, per Oddschecker.

Both Ibrahimovic and Sterling appear unlikely arrivals right now. Even so, the former is certain to cross Mourinho‘s mind in the coming days.

The Champions League score is finely balanced at 1-1, ensuring PSG must net if they’re going to escape losing on away goals. Ibrahimovic and Mourinho are two of the biggest personalities in the game, so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the goalscoring output of the former or the tactical nuance of the latter define the tie.

They could achieve special things together. Ibra offers a touch of class and an ability to go about his work uniquely, the kind of quality that has seen his career littered with outrageous goals. While a future partnership with Mourinho may be possible, both men will hope they can come out on top during Wednesday’s crunch eliminator.

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