Sweden captain Zlatan Ibrahimovic was pursued by former club AC Milan but decided to remain with French champions Paris Saint-Germain amid interest from a slew of other European clubs, the striker said on Wednesday.
Speaking to reporters ahead of the Euro 2016 qualifiers against Russia and Austria, Sweden's record scorer said the Italian club, where he spent two seasons and won the scudetto in 2011, had approached him but he preferred to stay put.
“It was concrete from their side and they showed great interest, but I said from the beginning that I am staying at PSG, I’m happy there,” the 33-year-old told a news conference.
As the clock ticked down to the end of the transfer window this week, Ibra was linked with several clubs including Premier League side Arsenal and Turkey’s Fenerbahce and Galatasaray.
“I take it as a compliment that there is still interest in me. It means I’m still performing. I take it as positive,” he said when asked by a Turkish journalist about a possible move, adding that his agent Mino Raiola handled all such queries.
“It’s all about when you get a firm offer or a level of interest that is serious. Then you can think about it seriously. It’s not like I call a club and say ‘I’m coming’ – there has to be interest from the other side.”
His Sweden team are second in Group G, four points ahead of Russia, who they meet in Moscow on Saturday, and four behind leaders Austria, who they host in Stockholm next Tuesday.
A victory on Saturday would go a long way towards helping the Swedes qualify for the finals but Ibrahimovic is not taking anything for granted.
“It’ll be a tough game, a hard game. The Russians at home, we’re meeting a good team. They’re the games you want to play,” he said.
Ibra, who turns 34 next month, indicated that the end of his career at both club and international level was in sight but he was not prepared to say just yet when he would call it a day.
“You’ll know when I stop,” he told a reporter with a smile. “The whole world will know. It will be news.”
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Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
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Citadel: Honey Bunny first episode
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PREMIER LEAGUE FIXTURES
Tuesday (UAE kick-off times)
Leicester City v Brighton (9pm)
Tottenham Hotspur v West Ham United (11.15pm)
Wednesday
Manchester United v Sheffield United (9pm)
Newcastle United v Aston Villa (9pm)
Norwich City v Everton (9pm)
Wolves v Bournemouth (9pm)
Liverpool v Crystal Palace (11.15pm)
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Burnley v Watford (9pm)
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COMPANY PROFILE
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Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
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Saturday, May 16 (kick-offs UAE time)
Borussia Dortmund v Schalke (4.30pm)
RB Leipzig v Freiburg (4.30pm)
Hoffenheim v Hertha Berlin (4.30pm)
Fortuna Dusseldorf v Paderborn (4.30pm)
Augsburg v Wolfsburg (4.30pm)
Eintracht Frankfurt v Borussia Monchengladbach (7.30pm)
Sunday, May 17
Cologne v Mainz (4.30pm),
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Monday, May 18
Werder Bremen v Bayer Leverkusen (9.30pm)
The specs
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Transmission: seven-speed auto
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On sale: 2022
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
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Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
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