Manchester United have reportedly offered Zlatan Ibrahimovic a £250,000-a-week deal to join them in the summer.
It has widely been reported following Louis van Gaal’s recent sacking as United manager that Ibrahimovic—whose Paris Saint-Germain contract expires next month—will join the Old Trafford club to work under likely-incoming boss Jose Mourinho, per James Ducker and Jason Burt of the Telegraph.
According to Goal’s French football writer Loic Tanzi (via Get French Football), United will offer the 34-year-old striker a bumper weekly wage along with an £8 million bonus in order to persuade him to choose a switch to Old Trafford over a move to Major League Soccer:
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Per BBC Sport’s Simon Stone, Zlatan also “has lucrative offers from China already in place” but Mourinho could be the trump card for United, as Ibrahimovic “has spoken warmly of his experience of working with [him] in the past” at Inter Milan.
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Given his age, it is no surprise that United are not prepared to offer him a long-term deal, but there is little doubt that the Sweden international could be huge short-term help at Old Trafford.
Unlike many of the players in the Red Devils’ front line—Anthony Martial, Jesse Lingard and Marcus Rashford—Ibra is an established superstar and a proven goalscorer at the very highest level.
United need a player of his stature if they are to return to the upper echelons of English and European football, as their attack is currently lacking in proven quality, per Bleacher Report’s Dean Jones:
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Though he is in the latter stages of his career, Ibrahimovic cannot be said to be on the wane.
In the 2015-16 Ligue 1 season, he netted 38 goals in 31 appearances, a return far eclipsing the second top-scorer in the division—Alexandre Lacazette with 21 goals—per WhoScored.com.
Given the scarcity of goals netted by United in Van Gaal’s two-year reign—they scored only 49 times in the 2015-16 Premier League season —a top-level striker is a necessary addition this summer.
United could make few better striker signings than Ibrahimovic, and though he will only likely be valuable for a year or two, the influence he could have on Rashford and Martial could pay further dividends in the future.
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Elsewhere, Mourinho could also reportedly look to “raid” former club Chelsea if and when he is appointed as United boss.
Per the Daily Mail‘s Adam Crafton, the Portuguese manager is “keen” to sign defensive midfielder Nemanja Matic, 27, but the Blues will demand “more than £25 million” for the Serbian.
Matic played a key role for Mourinho as Chelsea cruised to the Premier League title in 2014-15, but his drop-off in form last season was also a key reason for the west London club’s alarming downfall.
It is clear that United need to rebuild their engine room—the likes of Michael Carrick and Bastian Schweinsteiger are nearing the end of their careers—but Matic may not be the answer, given his recent decline.
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