Real Madrid are considering a shock January move for Zlatan Ibrahimovic as they try to fill the void left by Cristiano Ronaldo, according to reports in Spain. Los Blancos have struggled in the absence of the Portuguese talisman following his move to Juventus, going five games without a win as pressure builds on manager Julen Lopetegui.
They lost again on Saturday at home to Levante, while they also set an unwanted record by going 481 minutes without scoring – the longest drought in club history.
And now reports claim the club are looking into the possibility of signing Ibrahimovic on a short-term loan deal during the MLS off-season to solve their problems in front of goal. The Swedish striker is fit again and back among the goals for LA Galaxy, with his header on Sunday night against Minnesota United taking him to 22 goals in just 26 appearances this season and securing a play-off place.
Ibrahimovic’s old clubs Manchester United and AC Milan are also reportedly interested in taking Ibrahimovic on loan when the window opens in January, though the 37-year-old could be hard to persuade.
‘I think I’m in a situation where I need to have a good balance between work and rest,’ Ibrahimovic, whose career was nearly ended by an ACL injury, told Sky Sports.
‘Because I came back from injury and because of my age and the load I’m putting in during training.
‘It’s not what I have been thinking about because we still have two games, hopefully we make the play-offs.
‘Any more on that I don’t know what to say because I haven’t focused on that, I haven’t put any thought on it.’