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

Jack de Menezes
Friday 16 September 2016 10:16 BST
Comments
Mino Raiola claims Zlatan Ibrahimovic wanted to end his career at Napoli, not Manchester United
Mino Raiola claims Zlatan Ibrahimovic wanted to end his career at Napoli, not Manchester United

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’.

“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.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in