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FOOTBALL

Italian club eyes Zlatan for next season

Juventus coach Antonio Conte has spoken to Zlatan Ibrahimovic about a possible return to the club, an Italian newspaper report claimed Saturday.

Italian club eyes Zlatan for next season

Ibrahimovic’s 27 goals in 29 Ligue 1 games for Paris Saint-Germain, the most recent coming from the penalty spot in Sunday’s win against Nice, have put the French capital club within sight of a first title since 1994.

However, recent speculation suggests the Swedish international striker is keen on a quick return to Italy, where he has previously played for Juventus (2004-2006), Inter (2006-2009) and AC Milan (2010-2012).

A report in Gazzetta dello Sport in midweek claimed Ibrahimovic and his wife had been house-hunting in Milan.

And on Saturday Gazzetta claimed Juventus coach Conte had personally contacted Ibrahimovic to express his admiration for the player.

The report added, however, that Juventus would only be prepared to pay PSG 10 million euros ($13m) for Ibrahimovic, who would be paid 7.5m euros annually plus bonuses.

In France, the daily Le Parisien on Saturday reported that the striker will reconsider his future at the Parc des Princes if coach Carlo Ancelotti leaves the club this summer.

“Zlatan should still be in Paris next season but a transfer is possible if the situation at PSG changes, which means if there is a change of coach or if the owners’ project for the club evolves” his agent Mino Raiola was quoted as saying.

PSG bought Ibrahimovic for a reported 21 million euros from AC Milan last summer.

Despite lacking a centre forward with a killer eye for goal this season, Juventus have been Serie A’s strongest side and require seven points from their next six league games to secure their second consecutive Scudetto under Conte.

Juve had hoped to sign a leading striker for their Champions League campaign earlier this season.

But after losing out on Didier Drogba, who signed for Galatasaray, Juve agreed terms with Athletic Bilbao and Spain striker Fernando Llorente, who will sign a four-year deal with Juve on July 1 when his Athletic deal ends.

AFP/The Local/og

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RACISM

VIDEO: Spain’s La Liga reviews video of boy racially abusing Vinicius

Spain's La Liga on Monday said it was reviewing a video of a child making racist insults towards Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior during the 2-2 draw with Valencia at the weekend.

VIDEO: Spain's La Liga reviews video of boy racially abusing Vinicius

“We’re in the process of studying and analysing the facts from a legal standpoint to see what we can and should do,” La Liga sources said.

In a video published by a journalist for ESPN Brasil, and picked up by Spanish media, a boy sitting in a woman’s lap can be heard calling Vinicius a “monkey”.

The Brazilian scored twice for Madrid as his team recovered from two goals down at Mestalla on Saturday.

Vinicius raised his fist in a “Black Power” salute after the first of his two goals at a ground where he was racially abused last season. Valencia subsequently banned three people from the stadium for life.

The 23-year-old has become a symbol of the fight against discrimination in Spanish football after suffering racist abuse on many occasions, and he was jeered repeatedly by home supporters on Saturday.

Jude Bellingham was sent off after the final whistle against Valencia for protesting after the referee blew the final whistle right before the England midfielder headed home what he thought was the winning goal.

READ ALSO: Football star Vinicius highlights racist behaviour from Spanish fans

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