La Liga side Atletico Madrid are plotting a January move for former Manchester United striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
According to a report in Spanish publication SPORT, the La Liga giants are plotting a January swoop for the Swedish hitman. The 35-year-old has reportedly received a offer from Los Rojiblancos to come play for Atletico after he recovers from his long-term injury.
Diego Simeone is said to interested in bringing Ibrahimovic to the Wanda Metropolitano in the hopes that he will have the same kind of impact as Christian Vieri, who in the 1997-98 season, scored 29 goals in 32 appearances for them across all competitions.
Atletico are also reportedly considering other options to strengthen their attack upfront such as Sevilla’s Vitolo and Chelsea’s Diego Costa, who is set to move away from the club in the current transfer window, but Ibrahimovic would be available for free – making him a very attractive prospect.
Atletico, who were in the hunt for a striker to strengthen their attack, were leading the race for Alexandre Lacazette before they found out about their transfer ban and the Frenchman is now edging toward a move to English Premier League giants Arsenal.
Ibrahimovic, who is currently recovering from a knee injury, has also been linked with a move to the MLS. Real Madrid reportedly turned down an opportunity to sign the former Juventus striker, in order to focus their attention on AS Monaco sensation Kylian Mbappe.
By the time he makes a full recovery, Atletico’s transfer ban would also have been lifted. The lack of football means that he wouldn’t be fatigued and would be able to hit the ground running come January. He will also be familiar with the Spanish top flight, having spent a season with Barcelona.
In that 2009/10 season, he scored 21 goals and assisted 14 in 46 games across all competitions and helped them win the La Liga, but he was ultimately sold off to AC Milan the following season due to his troubled relationship with then manager Pep Guardiola.
Besides that, he would also love to show Barcelona what they missed out on when they chose to offload him. Atletico have been chasing the UEFA Champions League title, having never won it in their history and Zlatan, who himself is the hunt for that elusive title, may be the missing piece of the puzzle.
Ibrahimovic, who turns 36 in October, could be a superb signing for Simeone if he recovers well from his injury. He scored 50 goals in the previous calendar year and had racked 28 goals and 10 assists over the course of the previous campaign, before his season was abruptly ended with an injury.
Both Simeone and Ibrahimovic are quite similar in nature. Feisty, passionate characters who wear their hearts on their sleeve. He would likely set up shop alongside Griezmann, Gameiro & Carrasco – a fearsome attacking lineup that could potentially take Europe by storm.
