Zlatan Ibrahimovic could have twice signed for Sunderland , Peter Reid has revealed.
The Manchester United striker was given the chance to join the Black Cats when he played for both Malmo and Ajax.
Reid, who was in charge of Sunderland between 1995 and 2002, believed that the club's move to the Stadium of Light would have been enough to convince Ibrahimovic to move to the north east.
The mercurial Swedish front man turned down Sunderland in favour of Ajax in 2001, before the Dutch giants snubbed a £6million offer for his services the following year.
"I liked his physique and I liked his feet," Reid told the Daily Mail.
"I tried. I tried. When he was at Malmo I tried to get him but he went to Ajax. We were at Roker Park, but no chance. I didn't have that clout to attract him.
"When he was at Ajax, we'd moved to the Stadium of Light so I went over, had a meeting. I thought I had a chance, but no. We offered £6million which was decent dough, but they wanted more. I saw him walk past and he smiled. But no conversation."
Meanwhile, Ibrahimovic is targeting his return to United action after his ACL knee injury - and hopes to be back for the December 2 clash with Arsenal.
Ibrahimovic hasn't played since suffering knee ligament damage in the Europa League victory over Anderlecht in April.
Despite inevitably missing a big chunk of this season, Jose Mourinho decided to give Ibrahimovic another one-year deal at Old Trafford.
And the 36-year-old has recovered quicker than some expected, and looks likely to make his return before Christmas and be ready for the knockout stages of the Champions League.