LONDON • Zlatan Ibrahimovic has agreed personal terms with Manchester United, but his joining the English football club will depend on getting assurances from new manager Jose Mourinho on the role he will play next season.
According to The Guardian, the high-profile striker, who is preparing for Sweden's opening game of Euro 2016 against Ireland on June 13, had been looking for a weekly wage of £220,000 (S$433,000) to join the club.
While United have agreed to those demands, the 34-year-old still needs reassurances from Mourinho that he will be their main striker next season in order to officially confirm his move.
The final deal also depends on his agent Mino Raiola getting a sizeable fee for bringing the player to Old Trafford and those discussions are undergoing.
The Guardian believes the signing will be announced early this week.
Ibrahimovic is available on a free transfer after leaving Paris Saint-Germain at the end of last season, and England's Tottenham are among the clubs who have expressed an interest in signing him.
But he has reportedly let the London outfit know that United are the only Premier League club he is interested in signing for.
Arsenal have also made overtures for a forward, with a surprise move for Jamie Vardy - a £22 million bid to trigger the release clause in the Leicester City striker's contract.
The London club are themselves braced for offers from Manchester City for Jack Wilshere and Hector Bellerin in what promises to be a busy summer for the incoming Pep Guardiola at the Emirates Stadium.
Vardy scored 24 Premier League goals last season to earn a place in the England squad for Euro 2016 and said he would be happy to stay after winning the title last month.
The 29-year-old is seeking a new contract at the King Power Stadium, which has led to interest from several clubs including Liverpool, who are believed to have offered £140,000 a week, and West Ham United (£100,000 plus appearances).
But Arsenal have been the first club to trigger the buy-out clause.
They have a further advantage because the clause is believed to be lower for clubs who have qualified for the Champions League. Clubs without top-level European football could be forced to pay as much as £30 million for Vardy.
The Gunners can also offer him higher wages than many of their rivals, with Mesut Ozil their highest-paid player on £150,000 a week - and they are believed to have come close to matching that sum for Vardy.
Their need for another striker has been increased by news that a knee injury will keep Danny Welbeck out until the new year.
The Foxes are determined to keep Vardy and are willing to offer him a second contract in four months. His basic pay rose from £40,000 to about £80,000 a week when he signed a deal that included the release clause in February.
THE GUARDIAN, THE TIMES, LONDON,
