Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s move to Manchester United is being held up by his Olympic dreams.
Striker Ibrahimovic has been offered a one-year deal worth £250,000-a-week to link up with Jose Mourinho at Old Trafford when his contract with Paris Saint-Germain expires at the end of the month.
And 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.
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However, Zlatan’s 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.
