Fairytale stint at Old Trafford set to end for Ibrahimovic

ZLATAN IBRAHIMOVIC is not expected to be offered a new contract by Manchester United, who are due to publish their ‘retained list’ this morning.

The list, released centrally by the Premier League, will show which players are due to leave their clubs when their contracts expire on June 30.

Ibrahimovic’s current 12-month deal ends then, with United already having indicated that their summer priority is signing a ‘No 9’ replacement for the injured 35-year-old, who is not expected to play before the turn of the year at the earliest.

United’s main target remains Alvaro Morata although the club are hoping to negotiate a deal for substantially less than the £78m Real Madrid appear to still be demanding for the 24-year-old Spanish international.

Morata is also wanted by AC Milan while Chelsea registered their interest last season.

GOALKEEPER

United accept that it will be impossible for them to enter into negotiations without Real attempting to include talks on David De Gea’s future, but they have made it clear they want the goalkeeper to stay.

A list of back-up options, should Morata not be signed, includes Andrea Belotti – although not at the £87m release clause Torino insist has to be paid by any overseas club – and Lyon’s Alexandre Lacazette.

Romelu Lukaku is also being considered but there is a growing expectation that he will return to Chelsea.

Ibrahimovic intends to carry on playing, despite suffering a cruciate knee injury, and his agent Mino Raiola has stated the Swede wants to remain in Europe. However, he will have offers from the MLS – and tellingly he underwent his operation in the United States – and China.

The Swede would have triggered a 12-month extension to his United contract had he started 31 Premier League games. Instead he managed 27 before his season was ended in the Europa League quarter-final against Anderlecht.

Meanwhile, Craig Shakespeare has been confirmed as Leicester’s manager for next season as the former Premier League champions step up their bid to sign Swansea’s Gylfi Sigurdsson.

Shakespeare has signed a three-year contract and is now working on additions to his backroom team after operating with only a skeleton staff for the final months of last season.

Leicester are prepared to pay Swansea’s asking price of £30m for Sigurdsson, who is also wanted by Everton, and make him their best-paid player. (© Daily Telegraph, London)