Manchester United’s move for Zlatan Ibrahimovic hits further complications as star wants to miss start of season for Olympics
Swedish superstar is eyeing gold medal bid in Rio that would rule him out of Red Devils' opening Premier League games
MANCHESTER UNITED’S pursuit of Zlatan Ibrahimovic has hit another snag as the striker wants to represent Sweden at the Olympics.
Nations are allowed to pick three players over the age of 23 for this summer’s games in Rio and Swedish boss Hakan Ericson wants the Paris Saint-Germain star to be his talisman.
According to the Mirror, Ibrahimovic is tempted by the prospect of going for gold in Brazil – even though he would miss the beginning of the Premier League season.
The Olympics tournament runs for two-and-a-half weeks, beginning on August 4.
United will kick off their Prem campaign on the weekend of August 13 and new boss Jose Mourinho would be desperate for the Swede to be available.
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Participation in Rio would also rule the superstar out of United’s money-spinning pre-season tour of China.
Mourinho has offered Ibrahimovic a one-year deal worth a reported £250,000-a-week to ply his trade at Old Trafford next season.
The 34-year-old is out-of-contract with PSG at the end of the month and a deal seemed inevitable when he spoke of his admiration for the Special One.
But the move has already been delayed as it was revealed that the 34-year-old will forfeit a £1million bonus if he quits the French side before his contract expires.
Mourinho is keen to hit the ground running when he officially replaces Louis van Gaal next month.
The former Chelsea boss believed Ibrahimovic is the ideal man to make a short term impact in his first season at United, both on and off the pitch.
And further complications are unlikely to be popular among Red Devils chiefs.
Ibrahimovic is currently leading Sweden at the European Championships in France.
And should they go far in the tournament, the forward could only have a two weeks rest before linking up with the Olympics squad in South America.