Manchester United star Zlatan Ibrahimovic takes fifty per cent pay cut to stay at Old Trafford
The Swede was on £367,000 a week at Old Trafford last season
ZLATAN IBRAHIMOVIC agreed a mega FIFTY PER CENT pay cut to stay at Manchester United.
The Swede, 35, will earn around half of the £367,000-a-week wages that he was on last season, after signing a new one-year deal today.
Details of Ibra's wages emerged at the end of last season — with the superstar striker's basic pay packet worth £19.11million a year.
But that figure effectively absorbed Ibra's signing on fee when he moved to Old Trafford.
SunSport understands that the player has now penned a one-year deal worth £180k-a-week after proving his fitness to Jose Mourinho.
But he could again land more millions in bonuses.
Ibra's total earnings were boosted last season thanks to astronomical bonus payments negotiated by Mino Raiola when the striker arrived on a free transfer from Paris Saint-Germain.
His 28-goal haul ensured he banked an extra £2.86m - meaning his overall earnings hit £21.97m.
His debut goal in the Community Shield win over Leicester triggered the first tranche of £235,000.
And his sixth strike of the season, in the Europa League victory over Zorya, bagged Ibra another £395,000.
Further payments of £555,000, £715,000 and £851,000 came with goals 11, 16 and 21.
A cruciate knee ligament injury against Anderlecht ended his season, leaving him stranded on 28 goals.
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That denied Ibra ten extra games to score the eight goals he needed for a final payment of £1.91m.
Another 12-month deal would also have been automatically triggered for this season had he started 31 Prem games — but he was injured after racking up 27.
Ibra is now back at United and has been handed Wayne Rooney's old No10 shirt.
He wore No9 last season, but lost the chance to reclaim it when Romelu Lukaku snapped it after completing a move from Everton worth an initial £75m.
Ibra is targeting an October comeback, as SunSport exclusively revealed.
After signing, he said: “I am back to finish what I started. It was always mine and the club’s intention for me to stay.
“I cannot wait to get back out on that Old Trafford pitch, but I also know that I have to take my time to make sure that I am ready.
“I have been working hard and will continue to do so to make sure I am in the best possible condition for my return to the pitch."
Boss Mourinho added: “We are delighted Zlatan is on the road to recovery and we are equally delighted to have his ambition and experience back with us.
"After his contribution last season he deserves our trust and we will be patient waiting for him to return.
"I have no doubt that he will be important in the second part of the season.”
A deal was finalised in Monaco – where United chiefs were staying ahead of the Champions League draw.
United landed a favourable draw in Group A against Benfica, Basel and CSKA Moscow.
Zlat's stats
- Born in Malmo, Sweden, to a Bosnian father and Croatian mother on October 3, 1981
- Played in various youth teams in Malmo but was close to quitting football at age 15 to become a dock worker
- Signed his first pro contract with Malmo FF in 1996, making his debut in 1999
- Has won 11 league titles in four countries with Ajax, Inter, Barcelona, AC Milan and Paris Saint-Germain - would have been two more but his Juventus titles were stripped over the Calciopioli scandal
- Helped Manchester United to the League Cup and Europa League but suffered a serious knee injury that ended his Old Trafford career
- Has scored 420 goals in 723 matches and is also Sweden's all-time top scorer with 62 goals in 116 international matches
- Three time winner of Serie A player of the Year, three-time winner of Ligue 1 player of the year and voted four times in the Uefa Team of the Year
- The only player to have scored a goal in De Klassieker in Netherlands, Derby della Madonnina and Derby d'Italia in Italy, El Clasico and Derbi Barceloni in Spain, Le Classique in France and the Manchester Derby and North-West Derby in England
- In 2016-17 he became the oldest player to reach 15 Premier League goals in a season
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