Zlatan Ibrahimovic will not give up on football and neither will Milan on him as the Rossoneri assess the prospect of extending the veteran’s contract. That’s according to renowned Italian journalist Daniele Longo, who claims the Serie A heavyweights are readying an extension for their talismanic striker.
Ibrahimovic has a few months remaining on his contract at San Siro, and he has yet to commit his future to the Lombard outfit. However, Milan are keen to retain the 40-year-old beyond the summer despite the Swedish superstar experiencing an injury-riddled campaign.
Recurring injury problems have restricted Ibrahimovic to only 11 Serie A starts this season. Even though he has performed sporadically, the former Juventus and Inter goal-getter has racked up eight league goals, as many as Milan joint-top scorer Rafael Leao.
It is worth noting that the Portuguese forward has started almost twice as many games as Ibrahimovic, further underlining the Swede’s scoring prowess. But Ibrahimovic’s significance to Milan stretches far beyond his goal contributions.
His unique mindset, coupled with his always-present desire to win, has been off the charts at San Siro, making the entire Rossoneri squad look and perform better. Milan are well aware of Ibrahimovic’s importance to the team, and they would like to keep him on board for at least another season.
In this regard, Milan are ready to offer their standout striker a new deal worth around €2.5m-3m per year plus add-ons.
Ibrahimovic’s influence at San Siro has been monumental as Pioli hopes to have his star ready for Sunday’s season-defining clash against fellow title bidders Napoli. Since the Swede has just recovered from a long-term injury, he is likely to be on the bench and join the fray if needed.
Ibrahimovic stole the show when Milan eased past Napoli 3-1 last season, bagging a brace to give the Rossoneri their first Serie A win in Naples since 2010. Interestingly, he was on the scoresheet in both those victories.