Manchester United transfer news: Zlatan Ibrahimovic intended to retire at Napoli, claims agent Mino Raiola
Ibrahimovic told Raiola he wanted to end his career at Napoli after being impressed by the club back in 2005
Zlatan Ibrahimovic told his agent, Mino Raiola, where he wanted to end his career, and it was not at current club Manchester United.
Before agreeing a free transfer to the Premier League side, Ibrahimovic declared that he wanted a move to Italy to join Napoli after being impressed with the set-up in Naples when he attended Ciro Ferrara’s testimonial. That’s according to his outspoken agent Raiola, who told an Italian radio station that the intention wasn’t to join United until last season.
Ferrara’s farewell match between Napoli and Juventus – Ibrahimovic’s former side – took place in 2005, and Raiola claims that attending the San Paolo Stadium convinced Ibrahimovic that he wanted to play for the club when he wound down his career.
“Was Ibra approached by Napoli this summer? The presidents who talk to me, they know that what is said remains between us,” Raiola told Radio CRC.
“We chose United recently, it was our goal, Ibra was also the club’s aim, and we’re now where we needed to be.
“All I can say is at Ciro Ferrara’s farewell game at the San Paolo, Zlatan called me and told me: ‘Mino, I want to end my career in Naples’.
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Show all 11“That’s because the mentality of the Neapolitans is the one closest to his, and if the league remained as it was back then, he might have done just that.”
Instead, United were able to persuade Ibrahimovic to move to Old Trafford in the summer on a free transfer from Paris Saint-Germain – thanks largely to a barrage of text messages from new manager Jose Mourinho – and he has gone on to score five goals in five appearances for United a match-winning double against Southampton and a consolation goal in the 2-1 defeat by Manchester City last weekend.
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