Zlatan Ibrahimovic could soon haunt Arsenal fans again as Mikel Arteta looks to bring a world class striker to the club this summer. The Gunners are still perceived to be lacking a clinical finisher, and have been linked with a number of forwards, including Sporting CP striker Viktor Gyokeres.
The Swede, who previously had spells in English football with Swansea and Coventry City, has been on fire for his club in Portugal this season, scoring 36 times in 39 games. And according to Italian media outlet Gazzetta cello Sport, Arsenal and AC Milan are the two sides leading the race for his signature.
But the influence of Swedish legend Ibrahimovic could prove telling. The 42-year-old his revered by Milan fans after his two stints with the club, winning a Serie A title each time, and is now reportedly being lined up by the Italian giants to aid their negotiations with Gyokeres.
The 25-year-old has publicly spoken about his admiration for his compatriot, who on 62 goals remains Sweden’s record goalscorer. And given his notoriously strong personality, the Premier League club will fare the persuasive powers of Ibrahimovic could be the defining factor in the transfer saga.
And it won’t be the first time that the player who won 12 top-flight titles in a professional career that spanned 24 years will have disappointed Arsenal fans. In an interview on Piers Morgan Uncensored last year, Ibrahimovic claimed that he was set to sign for the North London outfit before being asked by Arsene Wenger to undergo a trial period first.
“I spoke with Wenger,” said Ibrahimovic, who was still a teenager at the time. “He had an Arsenal shirt with Number 9 and said ‘We want you to come and do a trial for two weeks’. Everything was good until he said you come and do a trial.
“I was looking at him. Obviously he is Wenger, I am nobody at that moment. I said, ‘I don’t do trials’, and he was like, ‘What do you mean?’ “’I don’t do trials, either you want me or you don’t want me, or else why am I here?’ That was me, but it was not to play a game, it was me.”
Ibrahimovic claimed that the French manager continued to try and persuade him to take a trial, but talks eventually broke down when he steadfastly refused. It arguably robbed club fans of the opportunity to see Ibrahimovic line-up with the likes of Dennis Bergkamp and Thierry Henry.
The star did eventually end up England, moving to Manchester United on a one-year contract for the 2016/17 campaign. His 28 goals helped the club lift the League Cup and Europa League, but after earning a 12 months’ extension to his deal, he left Old Trafford midway through his second season after being plagued by injury problems.
