Rain puts Ibrahimovic off Premier League move
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Rain puts Ibrahimovic off Premier League move
Barcelona striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic looks unlikely to move to the Premier League, claiming the rain would deter him from playing in England.
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Zlatan Ibrahimovic: Surplus to requirements?
Speculation over Ibrahimovic's future is certain to intensify over the coming days and weeks after Barca spent €40 million on Valencia striker David Villa.
Ibrahimovic struggled to impress for the La Liga champions in his first season since moving to the Catalan club from Inter Milan, starting only 23 games but still managing to score 16 goals in the league. And he was only named on the bench for four of Barca's last six La Liga fixtures as they looked to hold off the challenge of Real Madrid for the title.
After scoring just once in the run-in, and with the signing of Villa, it has been suggested Ibrahimovic could now be offloaded to help finance the purchase of Cesc Fabregas from Arsenal.
But it seems he will not be going in the opposite direction to the Premier League. He told Swedish lifestyle magazine Café: "England doesn't feel close. I don't like rain."
The Sweden international also ruled out a return home at any point during his playing career, after starting his career with Malmo: "Football will always be in my heart, it is a part of me, but I will not make any guest appearances in the Allsvenka [Swedish domestic league].
"Not as an active player at least. Maybe I can contribute my knowledge to Swedish football in some other way."