The move of English club, Manchester United for Swede international, Zlatan Ibrahimovic has hit a BIG hitch after it was confirmed that the outgoing Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) player wants to play in the soccer tournament of the 2016 Rio Olympics.
According to reports in the UK on Sunday, the 34-year-old footballer can be one of Sweden’s three over-age players in tournament but this clashes with the Reds’ pre-season and the Premier League kickoff in August.
British tabloid, Daily Mail UK reports that the striker has already been offered a one-year deal worth £250,000-a-week to link up with Jose Mourinho at Old Trafford when his contract with PSG expires at the end of the month.
Mirror UK writes, “…While the Swedish superstar will forfeit a £1million bonus from the French club if he signs for United before then, negotiations have been complicated further by his ambition to go for gold in the football tournament at the Games in Rio de Janeiro in August.
“Sweden Under-21 coach Hakan Ericson, who will be in charge of their men’s team in Brazil, wants Ibrahimovic, 34, to be his talisman in South America.”
Olympic rules allow Ericson to choose three players over the age of 23 for his squad and he believes the former Ajax, Juventus, Inter Milan, Barcelona and AC Milan frontman can lead Sweden to a medal.
But his participation in Rio would rule him out of the Premier League’s big kick-off on August 13, with the Olympic football tournament running from August 4-20.
It would also make him unavailable for United’s pre-season preparations, including a money-spinning tour of China.
Ibrahimovic’s season has already been extended by the Euros and he would only have a couple of weeks to rest before linking up with Sweden’s Olympic squad.
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