Zlatan Ibrahimovic Signs Contract with AC Milan in Return to Italy

Zlatan Ibrahimovic has completed his move to Italy, returning to former club AC Milan on a free transfer after leaving L.A. Galaxy.

The Rossoneri confirmed the news in a cryptic social media post:

AC Milan announced Ibrahimovic has agreed a deal until the end of the season with the option for one more. He will have a medical on January 2 and then train with the team for the first time.

The 38-year-old also offered his first thoughts on returning to AC Milan for another stint with the Serie A giants.

"I'm coming back to a club I hugely respect and to the city of Milan I love," he said. "I'll fight together with my team-mates to change the course of this season. I will do everything to make it happen."

The Swede played for the Rossoneri between 2010 and 2012 before stints with Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester United and L.A. Galaxy. He became a free agent after the 2019 MLS season.

Early in December, he suggested a return to Italy was close in an interview with GQ Italia (h/t Corriere della Sera, via Football Italia). Napoli, AS Roma and Bologna were reportedly interested in his services, but a return to Milan always seemed most likely.

The Rossoneri are in dire need of attacking reinforcements, with the forward positions proving to be a major problem area both this season and throughout the past decade:

Krzysztof Piatek has failed to live up to the hype this season, regressing after finding the net 22 times during the 2018-19 Serie A campaign. Milan have struggled as a whole and find themselves well behind their main rivals for the European tickets.

When Ibrahimovic last played for Milan, they were still among Italy's elite clubs and UEFA Champions League royalty.

He won the 2010-11 Serie A title with the Rossoneri and played a role in their second-place finish the following year. Milan haven't finished in the top two since, and they have found themselves outside of the Champions League spots in six straight seasons.

The 38-year-old has collected an impressive amount of silverware, winning domestic titles with Ajax, Juventus, Inter Milan, Barcelona, Milan and PSG, as well as the Europa League and EFL Cup with United.

He's unlikely to have a similar impact on a slumping Milan team, but his return will give the disappointed Milan fans something to be excited about after the horror first half of the season.