Jose Mourinho confirms Zlatan Ibrahimovic is in talks about signing a new contract at Manchester United
Ibrahimovic hoping to return from serious knee injury in October and Mourinho wants to bring the striker back into his squad at Old Trafford
JOSE MOURINHO has admitted Manchester United ARE in talks with Zlatan Ibrahimovic over a new deal with the club.
SunSport revealed last month how United had begun negotiations with the Swedish striker over returning to Old Trafford once he recovers from a serious knee injury.
And Mourinho has today confirmed he is trying to agree a deal which will see the 35-year-old link up with the squad for the majority of this season.
NOT PICKED YOUR FANTASY FOOTBALL TEAM YET? WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?
Mourinho said: "We are discussing the possibility of him to stay with us.
“It was very clear from him that what he did last year was not enough for him.
“He wants more football at the highest level so we are having conversations and discussing the possibility of him staying for the second part of the season.
“He is injured, he needs time to recover, and is not ready to play tomorrow. It’s not something that’s urgent, it’s not desperate to have it done or not.”
Latest Man Utd news
Ibrahimovic has not played since he suffered a serious knee injury in the Europa League clash with Anderlecht in April that ended his season.
The former Barcelona and Inter Milan striker was forced to undergo knee surgery in America in an effort to save his career.
With the early prognosis he would be out of action until the start of 2018, it meant Ibrahimovic's career at United was over as boss Mourinho looked to make changes in the summer.
But the surgeon who carried out the operation on the striker gave increased hope he could return to action quicker than expected when he hailed the quality of Ibrahimovic's joint and physical shape.
Since then Ibrahimovic has healed quicker than first anticipated and when it became clear his date for a return had been revised to October, Mourinho suddenly rekindled his interest in the player.
The United boss had hoped to bring in two new strikers over the course of the summer, with Ibrahimovic and Wayne Rooney both leaving holes in his attacking options.
But though he secured the £75million capture of Romelu Lukaku, he was frustrated in his attempts to bring in another forward with pursuits of Alvaro Morata and Andrea Belotti coming to nothing.
With an obvious need to bring in extra options up front to cover for the increased demands of Premier League and Champions League football, the possibility of re-signing Ibrahimovic became more tempting.
There has been plenty of interest from MLS in America and the Chinese Super League in snapping up Ibrahimovic.
But having made such an impression in his one year at Old Trafford, scoring 28 goals in all competitions before his injury, the player is understood to have still been keen to play Premier League football.
And now it appears both the club and the striker are looking to reach agreement over a deal until the end of this season.
Keep up to date with ALL the latest transfer news and speculation with our live transfer feed
Have you signed up to play fantasy football yet?
If the answer is no you need to take a long, hard look at yourself.
Because the Dream Team game – the UK’s biggest fantasy football game – is back and better than ever this season.
You’ve got a £50m budget to pick 11 players, with all the biggest new signings ready and raring to go ahead of a mouthwatering new Premier League campaign.
So what are you waiting for? Sign up to play now!