Berlusconi backs Ibra for AC Milan return
Zlatan Ibrahimovic would be welcomed back at AC Milan “with open arms,” according to honorary club president Silvio Berlusconi.
Ibrahimovic, 33, continues to be linked with the Rossoneri with his contract at Paris Saint-Germain expiring at the end of this season although the player himself has insisted he is happy at the club.
PSG will need to cash in on the Sweden international either during the current transfer or in January to avoid losing the player on a free transfer. They may be tempted to sell while they can, even if the Swede’s goals have helped them win the Ligue 1 title for the past three seasons.
Milan’s general manager Adriano Galliani has repeatedly said his club are waiting for a sign from PSG that Ibrahimovic may be sold and Berlusconi has reiterated his club’s ambition of bringing him back to the San Siro.
“If Ibrahimovic wants to come to Milan, we would welcome him with open arms,” Berlusconi said prior to AC Milan’s 2-0 Coppa Italia win over Perugia on Monday night, reports La Gazzetta dello Sport.
Ibrahimovic scored 14 goals in 29 Serie A games when Milan last won the Scudetto in 2011. The following season, he was Serie A’s top-scorer with his 28 goals in 32 league appearances ensuring Milan finished second before he was sold to PSG together with Thiago Silva.
Milan have since finished third, eighth and 10th, although they have invested heavily in their squad this summer, spending over €80 million to sign the likes of Luiz Adriano, Carlos Bacca, Andrea Bertolacci and Alessio Romagnoli. Funds are still available to sign Ibrahimovic, however, with just under a fortnight left for them to convince PSG to sell.
Meanwhile, Milan coach Sinisa Mihajlovic has slammed the Milan fans who jeered Alessio Cerci whenever he touched the ball during Monday night’s cup tie.
Although the Italian has failed to make much of an impact since arriving from Atletico Madrid last winter, Mihajlovic says it is unfair to make him the scapegoat for last season’s problems, especially when the new season has not yet begun.
“I don’t like it when fans whistle their own player,” Mihajlovic told reporters. “You come to the stadium to support your team, and then if one of them has a bad game you can whistle at the end.”
The former Torino forward scored just one goal in 16 Serie A games for Milan in the second half of last season, after joining on an 18-month loan deal.
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