AC Milan reached a deal with Barcelona to bring Zlatan Ibrahimovic back to Serie A on Saturday, potentially altering the balance of power in the Italian league on the opening day of the season.
Milan announced that Ibrahimovic will join the team on a free loan this season, after which it will have the option to pay Barcelona $30.5 million for his full transfer.
"Milan is one of the best clubs in the world, for the squad and the tradition that it has," Ibrahimovic was quoted by the ANSA news agency as saying. "With (Alexandre) Pato and Ronaldinho we have a fantastic attack. I think the Milan fans will have fun at the stadium with the three of us."
Ibrahimovic played for Juventus and Inter Milan before joining the Spanish champions last season in a $66 million deal that sent striker Samuel Eto'o to Inter. He scored 21 goals in all competitions but often struggled to fit into Barcelona's intricate passing schemes.
Milan said Ibrahimovic would undergo medical tests Monday and then sign a four-year contract.
Milan president and Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi visited the squad Saturday to inform the team personally of the acquisition and was put through directly to Ibrahimovic on a phone call in front of the players - then left in a helicopter.
Milan opens the season against newly promoted Lecce on Sunday. Until this deal, Ibrahimovic's former club Inter - the five-time defending champion - was considered the undisputed favorite for the Serie A title.
Now Milan could challenge its city rival.
Ibrahimovic insisted he is not worried what Inter fans will think.
"I don't think they're worried about me, considering all that they've won," Ibrahimovic said. "This situation that has created itself at Barcelona has given me a lot of adrenaline and now my dream is to win everything with Milan."
Ibrahimovic is Milan's most expensive acquisition since paying Parma the same price for Alberto Gilardino in 2005.
Milan already has three high-profile forwards in Pato, Ronaldinho and Marco Borriello - not to mention reserves like 37-year-old Filippo Inzaghi and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar - but coach Massimiliano Allegri was not worried about having too many options to choose from.
"Ibrahimovic is a champion and the more champions we have the easier it is to win matches," Allegri said. "We have one of the best attacks in Europe."
The 28-year-old Ibrahimovic began his career in his native Sweden with his hometown club Malmo before shooting to European fame with Ajax. He joined Juventus in 2004 and won two Serie A titles with the Turin side, although both were revoked due to the Italian match-fixing scandal.
With Juventus relegated to Serie B for a season, Ibrahimovic moved to Inter in 2006 and guided his new team to three more Serie A titles before heading off to Spain.
