Zlatan Ibrahimovic was on the wanted list of many clubs this summer, but his agent Mino Raiola has now revealed that one of the interested clubs was willing to pay a whopping €100 million in wages for the Swede striker
Zlatan’s contract at PSG expired in the summer and the 34-year-old become one of the most coveted free agents in the world. His former manager at Jose Mourinho managed to lure him to Manchester United, but there were many other clubs who were interested.
The likes of Arsenal, Chelsea and even West Ham United were rumored to be after Zlatan. However, his agent Mino Raiola has now revealed that one of the biggest offers that the Swede striker had was from China.
One of the Chinese Super League clubs offered him a whopping €100 million in total to join them.
“Ibrahimovic is the best. He turned down €100m net from the Chinese! He doesn’t want more money, he wants to win,” Raiola told Italian publication Il Giornale, according to Goal.
The 100 million figure may seem massive, but it is no surprise that the offer is coming in from China. Chinese Super League clubs have been snapping up players from the big European clubs for huge transfer fees since last January.
JS Suning bought Liverpool target Alex Teixeira from Shakhtar Donetsk for a €50 million transfer fee in January, a Chinese record. A Chinese Super League club had also reportedly offered Manchester United captain Wayne Rooney a similar deal last December.
Zlatan Ibahimovic would have been a marquee signing for the fledgling football league. It is testament to the striker’s ambition that he chose to join Mourinho at Manchester United.
Zlatan has already had a huge impact on the side, scoring six goals in nine competitive appearances for the Red Devils. The Swede will be hoping to add the Premier League to his collection of silverware, but it’s still a long road till the end of the season.