Inter boss Antonio Conte reveals he wanted 456-goal striker at Chelsea

By Oliver Fisher -

Inter boss Antonio Conte has revealed that he tried to sign Zlatan Ibrahimovic while he was manager of Premier League side Chelsea.

The Rossoneri confirmed the signing of the Swede on December 27 via a statement on their official website, with Ibrahimovic having penned a six-month deal with the possibility of extending that for an extra 12 months.

He was unveiled to the media earlier this month and made his second Milan debut during Monday’s 0-0 draw with Sampdoria, coming on in the 55th minute in place of Krzysztof Piatek and making a noticeable impact.

Despite being 38 years of age, a lot rests on Ibra’s shoulders as Milan have netted just 16 times in the opening 18 games of the league season, their last goal coming back on December 8.

During his press conference ahead of Inter’s home clash with Napoli this weekend, Conte made a surprise revelation about his desire to sign the Swede.

“Ibrahimovic knows that there was a moment when I tried to convince him to come to Chelsea, but he was in a recovery phase and he didn’t want to accept it,” he said (via MilanNews.it).

“I think he can give Milan a lot and bring personality by making the environment more responsible. It is important for a coach to find players in teams who can carry your word.”

Ibrahimovic has 456 goals and 174 assists in 741 competitive games across spells at Malmo, Ajax, Juventus, Inter, Barcelona, Milan, PSG, Manchester United and LA Galaxy.


VITO ANGELE: Three close to Milan exit; Aston Villa place €31m bid; Liverpool defender a possible option

Tags AC Milan Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Serie A Standings

Live football scores . Current table, fixtures & results.