The Herald (Zimbabwe)

Lion Zlatan wants to stay

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MANCHESTER. — Zlatan Ibrahimovi­c wants two more years at Manchester United.

The Reds’ 35-year- old talisman already has a one-year option to extend the existing £300 000-a-week contract at Old Trafford he signed when joining last summer.

But striker Ibrahimovi­c could be ready to commit himself to English football for even longer as he is loving life at United — and that would see him play until he is 37.

Mirror Sport understand­s his advisers are trying to drive a hard bargain, pushing for a better deal and an extra 12 months on top of the one-year option.

Ibrahimovi­c has been a huge hit in Manchester, is their 26- goal top scorer and was the match-winning hero of their EFL Cup final victory over Southampto­n on Sunday.

His performanc­es have allayed fears about the Swedish veteran still being able to deliver at the top level on a regular basis that accompanie­d him when he made his Bosman move from French champions Paris Saint- Germain.

United hedged their bets on whether he’d hack it in England in his mid-30s with that initial one-year contract plus a one-year option to extend come the summer.

Ibrahimovi­c is in a strong bargaining position and may be able to get himself a better deal.

He has far surpassed expectatio­ns and there has been huge interest in him from abroad, with offers pouring in from Europe, China and Major League Soccer.

Agent Mino Raiola has been cagey on the superstar’s future beyond this season.

It is clear Raiola is trying to play hardball by refusing to confirm whether the striker will take up that one-year option. — The Mirror

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