Manchester United are reportedly set to offer Zlatan Ibrahimovic a huge £250,000-a-week contract in order to lure him from Paris Saint-Germain to Old Trafford.

According to Jeremy Cross in the Daily Star, the Swedish striker is set to leave Paris at the end of the season when his contract expires, and he is one of United’s key targets. The club are willing to “flex their financial muscle” and offer the 34-year-old a two-year deal worth £24 million.

Per Cross, a United source said: “The team needs a major injection of talent and some superstar additions. Zlatan fits the bill. He might be getting on a bit but he can still do it at the highest level and would be worth the risk in terms of big wages because no fee is involved.”

His availability as a free agent—and his reported eagerness to move to the Premier League—have made Ibrahimovic a key target for other English clubs also, and United are hoping to beat Arsenal and Chelsea to him.

His age would usually be a concern as he is undoubtedly drawing to the end of his career, but his goalscoring output is still remarkable—he has netted 27 times in 25 Ligue 1 appearances this season, per WhoScored.com.

The striker himself is also clearly not ready to hang up his boots:

The Premier League is not the only place United will have opponents for Ibrahimovic’s signature, with MLS and Chinese clubs also interested, per La Repubblica (via Calciomercato).

Swedish journalist Jennifer Jugerup also recently suggested that Serie A’s Napoli could be a good fit for Ibrahimovic, per Sport Mediaset (via Calciomercato):

I don’t think he’ll be back to Italy. However, a club like Napoli would be ideal for him. He has never played in the south of Italy, that would be a new experience. I don’t think he’ll move back to AC Milan as the team is even struggling to qualify to Champions League. 

He’s fit and he still wants to play in a big European side. It’ too early for him to play in the MLS because he has realized he became a man, both mentally and physically.

However, United have the profile and financial power to persuade Ibrahimovic to join them, and they should be well in the race for his signature if they manage to engineer a top-four Premier League finish this season.

The current Red Devils squad is crying out for a player like Zlatan, a prolific goalscorer who can win games on his own if required.

Great United teams of the past always had at least one superstar—George Best, Eric Cantona, David Beckham, Cristiano Ronaldo—but they are currently missing a player of such stature.

Signing Ibrahimovic would solve that problem, and former captain Roy Keane has encouraged United to make a move for him, per the Manchester Evening News‘ Samuel Luckhurst:

The trump card for United—along with the huge deal they are reportedly willing to offer the prolific Swede—could be Jose Mourinho.

The Portuguese manager has been strongly tipped to replace Louis van Gaal as United manager in the summer, with reports even suggesting a pre-contract agreement is in place, per El Pais (via Ed Aarons in the Guardian).

Ibrahimovic previously played under Mourinho at Inter Milan and the pair have an excellent relationship, per Luckhurst.

Bleacher Report’s Dean Jones previously referenced Mourinho’s ability to attract major stars to United as one of the key reasons why they should appoint him as manager:

That hunch could be borne out if Mourinho comes in and helps to sign Ibrahimovic.

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