Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho wants Paris Saint-Germain striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic to solve the Blues’ goalscoring problems next season, as reports suggest the Special One will make a move for the out of contract superstar. 

Matt Heath-Smith of the Sun said the Portuguese boss will try and convince Ibra to move to Stamford Bridge for a season before he ends his career in the MLS. Chelsea face the prospect of losing Diego Costa in the summer, after the player’s love affair with his club soured, and Mourinho sees the mercurial Swede as the perfect replacement. 

ESPN Deportes (h/t the Daily Star’s Jamie Anderson) reported Ibrahimovic is considering the move to west London, as no extension to his £210,000-per-week deal has been agreed, making him eligible to agree terms with a new club in January. 

Costa risked further conflict with the Chelsea manager after being spotted leaving a nightclub at 3.15 a.m. with Ramires, Kenedy and boxer James DeGale, as they partied into the early hours of Thursday morning, and the players pushed Mourinho’s rule of no late nights 48 hours before a match close—as reported by the MailOnline’s Ashley Clements.

Swedish international Jonas Olsson recently “urged” Chelsea to sign Ibrahimovic from PSG, as the player becomes a free agent with the Ligue 1 champions. Neil Moxley of the Mirror quoted the West Bromwich Albion defender:

For me, he would be a great signing for any team. He’s coming up to 34 now but you all saw the game against Denmark.

He’s at the top of his game. He could play for any team in the Premier League. He’s that good. He’s the strongest player I’ve been up against in my career. It’s not over for him.

I hope he comes. He has played under [Jose] Mourinho before and the only place where he is not 100 per cent appreciated is in the UK.

Ibra played for the Special One at Inter Milan, and was Serie A’s top scorer in his solitary year under Mourinho as the Nerazzurri romped to the Italian title, per Heath-Smith.

The PSG player is still undoubtedly one of the best strikers in the world, and despite his ageing legs, he shows no signs of slowing down at the top level. Ibrahimovic has 10 goals in as many starts in Ligue 1 this season, including five assists, per WhoScored.com.

However, the physical demands of the Premier League might not be appealing to Ibra at this stage of his career—especially for one season—and a transfer to America would be both financially rewarding and exciting to the maverick. 

 

Semedo To Potentially Replace Ivanovic

Mourinho has his eyes on young Benfica starlet Nelson Semedo after rumours emerged Branislav Ivanovic could be about to join Inter. 

Portuguese outlet O Jogo (h/t Alex Wood of the Daily Star) reported the Special One will battle Arsenal for the player’s signature in January after Semedo impressed in Lisbon for his club.

The full-back recently made his debut for Portugal’s senior squad, featuring in his country’s 2-1 win against Serbia.

Ivanovic is a free agent at the end of the current campaign, per Wood, and the experienced defender has struggled for the Blues this term.

Semedo is a star of the future, but Chelsea need cold, hard steel as they consider a future without John Terry, who has seen his best days.

The youngster would need stability and time to settle in England and could get swamped in the reorganisation process at the Bridge.

Ivanovic has been a great servant for Chelsea since joining from Lokomotiv Moscow in 2008, and despite recovering lost form in recent weeks, he is unlikely to be retained as the Blues rebuild their fallen club.

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