Zlatan Ibrahimovic Says He Won’t Stay at AC Milan if Situation Remains Unchanged

Zlatan Ibrahimovic has cast doubt over his future at AC Milan, insisting he is unlikely to remain at the club if the current situation does not improve.

The Swedish striker returned to Milan in January as a free agent after leaving LA Galaxy, beginning a second spell with the Serie A side he helped win the league title in 2011.

Ibrahimovic made an immediate impact following his return, scoring six goals and helping Milan climb into contention for European qualification.

Despite the improvement, uncertainty remained over the club’s long-term direction, with reports suggesting head coach Stefano Pioli could be replaced by Ralf Rangnick.

Ibrahimovic said he was only interested in competing at the highest level and questioned whether Milan’s ambitions matched his own.

“Ibra plays to win something or he stays at home,” he told La Gazzetta dello Sport.

The 38-year-old explained that he returned to Milan because of his passion for football after being told that finishing his career in the United States would have been too easy.

He admitted that the coronavirus shutdown briefly made him consider retirement, but his desire to continue playing returned once football resumed.

“We’ll see how I feel in two months. We’ll also see what’s happening with the club,” Ibrahimovic said.

“If this is the situation, to be honest, it’s unlikely you’ll see me at Milan next season.”

Ibrahimovic also insisted that both he and Milan should be competing at a higher level than the Europa League.

“Ibra is not a player for the Europa League and Milan are not a club who belong in the Europa League,” he said.

The former Manchester United, Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona striker also revealed that he had sought clarification from chief executive Ivan Gazidis about the club’s future.

He said the current Milan side was very different from the successful team he previously represented but insisted the players still had a responsibility to give everything until the end of the season.

Asked about Rangnick, who had been strongly linked with taking charge of the club, Ibrahimovic responded: “Who is Rangnick? I don’t even know who he is.”