Serie A Sides Keeping Tabs on Zlatan Ibrahimovic With LA Galaxy Deal Expiring in December
A host of Serie A sides are keeping tabs on Zlatan Ibrahimovic's situation, with the Swede's current contract at Major League Soccer side LA Galaxy due to expire in December.
The 38-year-old striker has enjoyed successful stints in Italy with Juventus, Inter and AC Milan during a trophy-laden career, but the evergreen forward may have one final challenge left in him despite making the move to the United States in early 2018.
With Zlatan being out of contract at the end of the MLS season, a return to Europe in 2020 has been mooted for the former Manchester United forward. At present, his sole focus will be on the Los Angeles outfit as they prepare for their hotly-anticipated MLS Cup Western Conference semi-final clash with cross-city rivals Los Angeles FC.
That hasn't prevented rumours circulating about a return to Italy, however, as Serie A sides appear to be battling it out to bring the forward back to his former stomping ground during the winter period.
Calcio Mercato have done their best to sum up the options, firstly claiming that Napoli are among the sides interested - with this coming as no surprise after Carlo Ancelotti publicly expressed his admiration for the striker.
Meanwhile, club president Aurelio De Laurentiis told La Gazzetta dello Sport he met with the striker for dinner in LA when they were staying in the same hotel, but said it may be a 'desire' to see him in the Neapolitan blue, rather than a likelihood.
Inter have also been touted due to the injury sustained by Alexis Sanchez, yet they too boast plenty of attacking talent and will not seek further reinforcements after the length of Sanchez's injury was revealed to only be a few months.
The Italian outlet also mention another former club in Milan, but this idea was essentially laughed off by Zlatan who told Gazetta (via Football Italia) that the club were a 'disaster', pouring cold water on such suggestions before they caught alight.
That leaves underdogs Bologna, who currently sit 13th in Serie A. While not boasting the pedigree of the aforementioned sides, the close link between Zlatan and the club's manager Siniša Mihajlovic may aid the struggling outfit.
The forward recently admitted: "Mihajlovic is a friend, so if I were to choose Bologna, it’d be just for him". However, he cut short suggestions that deal could go over the line by deeming it 'unlikely'.
Nevertheless, not someone to shy down from a challenge, it appears likely a return to Italy will be on the cards for the 38-year-old, who has previously suggested he could play into his fifties.