Samuel Eto’o and Zlatan Ibrahimovic are rumoured to be involved in a transfer deal between European Champions FC Barcelona and Internazionale. It is being reported that Swedish striker Ibrahimovic is to be transferred to Barcelona in exchange for Samuel Eto’o and cash, believed to be in the region of £35Million. Aleksandr Hleb is also part of the deal – with the Belarus International going on loan to the Serie A champions for a year.
Barcelona president Joan Laporta, who has been criticised by Samuel Eto’o in the past, has made it clear that a final deal had not been completed and the club were still considering other options, including the purchase of Valencia striker David Villa. Laporta spoke of the deal “The Ibrahimovic deal is not done and dusted and it would be too early to say which of the two options is the most satisfactory. In the end we will choose the option that is best for Barca.”
The deal may raise eyebrows considering Samuel Eto’o, who was born in 1981 – the same year as Ibrahimovic, has scored in two European Cup finals, including the recent 2-0 victory over Manchester United, whilst the tall Swede has failed to score in the last 16 and beyond. Ibrahimovic is capable of genius – however his lazy swagger and arrogant approach has been criticised by some fans – whilst Eto’o has scored goals wherever he has been – despite constant rumours of a dodgy knee and claims he is too outspoken. Last season Eto’o scored 34 goals in 43 games whilst Ibrahimovic scored 27 goals in 43 games.
