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Not to be outdone by their eternal rivals Real Madrid, European champion Barcelona appears on the verge of making a major splash by adding Swedish forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic on a transfer from Inter Milan. What makes the move all the more spectacular is that 2008-09 La Liga second-leading goal scorer Samuel Eto'o is rumored to be going back to Milan in the exchange as well as somewhere in the range of $65 million. As of Friday afternoon reports were varied on the progress of the deal. The Associated Press said the two sides have a deal in principle, while other outlets are reporting the two sides are still talking. The deal, it would seem, hinges on the individuals themselves, which also include former Arsenal winger Aleksandr Hleb going to Italy.
It's hard to imagine any precedent in a move like this, where the champions of Italy and Spain would work out a deal that swaps their top two scorers from the previous season.
This particular transfer seems somewhat out of character for Barcelona, though it could be a reaction to Valencia spurning an offer for Spanish international David Villa earlier this week. Is it possible Barcelona is getting itself into an arms race with free-spending Real Madrid? It's not as if Barcelona, after winning the Champions League and La Liga, needed to make major changes.
How exactly Ibrahimovic fits into the Barcelona system is debatable. It's pretty much agreed that the Swede is a rare combination of speed, size and touch, yet he hasn't exactly taken Europe or the Champions League by storm. He's also a strong personality, so would be fit Barcelona's team-first ethos?
What could hold the deal up is Eto'o, who earlier this summer rejected a mega-move to Manchester City to remain with what's currently the world's best domestic club. Something to consider is that the Cameroonian has been outspoken against racism in European soccer and was a target of it in a match a few years ago. This sort of fan behavior remains an issue in Italy, with his possible Inter teammate Mario Balotelli heckled with racist cat-calls in a match at Juventus last season. Inter coach Jose Mourinho is going to need to do a pretty hard sell to convince Eto'o that moving to Italy is a good move.
However all this shakes out, it's a simply fascinating move that could potentially impact the top teams in Spain and Italy as well as the Champions League. If it's completed, expect the repercussions to be felt across the continent for seasons to come.
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