Man United to release Zlatan Ibrahimovic for Alvaro Morata

Zlatan Ibrahimovic is "unlikely" to play again for Manchester United, report Sky Sports, with the broadcaster claiming that the Red Devils have decided against offering him a 12-month extension to the one-year deal he signed last summer.

That expires at the end of the month and although it's believed that the 35-year-old's preference is to remain at Old Trafford, Sky Sports say his name will appear today on the "club's list of released players to be published by the Premier League".

Although Ibrahimovic scored 28 goals for United last season, he suffered a serious knee injury against Anderlecht in the Europa League quarter-final and he's not expected to be back in action until the end of the year. Factor in his salary, and United have clearly decided that it would be best to let the Swede go and use the money saved to sign a younger and healthier frontman.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

And who might that be? Sky Sports claims that United gaffer Jose Mourinho is "confident of completing a deal for Real Madrid's Alvaro Morata", while the Special One is also reportedly expected to make a move for Morata's Real teammate Raphael Varane, to bolster the United back four.

Another player leaving Old Trafford this summer could be Matteo Darmian with the Daily Express saying he has "cast doubt" on his United future by refusing to confirm whether he will be at the club next season. The Italian defender was asked about his future shortly after appearing for his country against Uruguay on Wednesday night.

"This is not the moment to talk about the transfer market," Darmian told journalists when asked about rumours suggesting he was considering his options. "I have a contract with Manchester United, so let's see what happens."