Zlatan Ibrahimovic will leave Paris St Germain at the end of the season.
Posting on his Twitter feed earlier on Friday Ibrahimovic had announced that Saturday’s Ligue 1 fixture with Nantes would be “my last game at the Parc des Princes”.
PSG have since confirmed that the striker will depart after four seasons at the club, posting a statement on the club website that said: “Paris Saint-Germain is forever deeply grateful to Zlatan for his amazing four years that made him the greatest striker and one of the very best player in the Club’s history.
“Ibra will have widely contributed to transform Paris Saint-Germain in one of the biggest clubs in Europe.”
Ibrahimovic added: “I am very proud of the last 4 years. I loved every day I spent here. The Paris Saint-Germain has become a STAR club in the world and I played a key role moving it forward. It is now the right time for me to take a different path.
“I would like to thank my team mates, the technical staff and all the people in the club. My heart is with the fans. They were amazing from the first day I came here. They are the best fans in France. It is not a farewell but only an AU REVOIR. I came like a king I leave like a legend but I will be back.”
The Swedish striker’s future has been the subject of intensive debate over recent months, with Manchester United, West Ham United and Arsenal all being linked with Ibrahimovic. Major League Soccer in the USA has also been cited as a potential destination for the 34-year-old.
Despite his advancing years Ibrahimovic continues to enjoy success at PSG, for whom he has scored 36 goals in 30 Ligue 1 games this season. He also played a crucial role in his side’s Champions League round of 16 victory over Chelsea, where he scored in both legs.
He was, however, unable to inspire victory over Manchester City in the quarter finals and seems set to depart Paris with the greatest honour in European club football still eluding him.
Speaking last month Ibrahimovic confirmed that he had received interest from Premier League sides after West Ham co-owner David Sullivan had said he would “love” to make the Swede his marquee striker signing.
“I have had lots of offers from English clubs,” he said.
“I have won a lot of trophies but I still want to win a lot more. I want to do it wherever I can.”
