Antonio Conte reveals he tried signing Zlatan Ibrahimovic when he was Chelsea manager

Antonio Conte reveals he tried signing Zlatan Ibrahimovic when he was Chelsea manager. However, the Swedish striker turned the offer down.

After the expiration of his contract with LA Galaxy in November last year, Zlatan Ibrahimovic was linked with several clubs. There were rumors of him joining Manchester United, Tottenham and even Everton. In the end however, he joined former club AC Milan an on a 6-month contract that can be extended to another year.

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Ibrahimovic has been tasked with reviving Milan’s fortunes on the pitch. Antonio Conte, manager of Inter Milan, their local rivals, believes that the Swede striker is more than capable of turning the dressing room into a responsible lot before revealing that he wanted to bring him to his fold when he was in charge at Stamford Bridge.

Antonio Conte reveals he tried signing Zlatan Ibrahimovic when he was Chelsea manager

“I welcome back Ibrahimovic, he is a great champion,” said Conte per Sky Sports. “He knows well there was a moment when I tried to convince him to come to Chelsea, but he was in a recovery phase and eventually he didn’t feel like accepting.

“He is a person I have a lot of respect for. I think he can give AC Milan a lot and he can bring personality by making the environment more responsible.

“For a coach, it’s important to find players in teams who can convey your word. Players who know what you want, who lead the team. When a coach has those kinds of players then things get a lot easier.”

Both the Milan clubs are set to face each other in a derby clash on February 9^th. While AC Milan are struggling to remain relevant, Inter have a very realistic chance of displacing Juventus as Italian Champions this season.

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