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Hot Football Transfer Gossip: Ibrahimovic linked with Tottenham and... Malmo

When Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s agent claimed last week that his client’s next move “will be a surprise”, we assumed that would just be something like the Swede earning £10m a year at Manchester United instead of £11m, or turning up at Old Trafford with a slightly different haircut. But if the Sun is to believed, which it almost always isn’t, Zlatan could actually do something genuinely shocking. He might move for love, rather than money.

The tabloid reports that football’s most coveted free agent could snub the riches on offer in England and China to instead return to his hometown club Malmo.

“I love Malmo,” he is reported to have said, adding that he will one day play there again imploring, “Just wait for me.” How long the good people of Malmo will have to wait is not clear. Maybe it will be three weeks; maybe he’ll return to the city for a charity match for his 60th birthday.

But Malmo isn’t the only “surprising” option open to Zlatan. The Star claims Tottenham have swooped to gazump Man Utd with a “mammoth” offer totalling £9.1m a year for the 34-year-old striker, and they would even throw in Clinton N'Jie as his personal assistant.

If only Zlatan’s agent was Jorge Mendes then things would be a lot easier for United. According to the Express, the club are relying on the Portuguese smoothie to secure their capture of Valencia’s Andre Gomes. Mendes represents the 22-year-old midfielder along with United boss Jose Mourinho, so everyone will be happy if that deal goes through (except Valencia, and possibly Gomes).

Southampton could be about to begin the process of buying back all the players they sold. Having already been linked with a move for Arsenal’s Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, the Mirror says the Saints are now aiming to “rescue” Calum Chambers from the Emirates. The £16m defender, who didn’t start a single Premier League game for the Gunners this season, is tipped to move back to St Mary’s on loan. Next week: Rickie Lambert.

Another man hoping to be reunited with his ex is Sam Allardyce, who the Mail says is trying to seal the £10m transfer of Diafra Sakho, who he originally bought two years ago for West Ham. That deal has just been held up a bit because Big Sam is still not answering his phone after his all-nighter in Marbella this weekend.

Elsewhere, the Hammers could replace Sakho with £3m-rated Toulouse striker Martin Braithwaite (Mail), Atletico Madrid want to re-sign Diego Costa from Chelsea (Star), Stoke City are leading the race to sign Aston Villa midfielder Jack Grealish (Telegraph) and Newcastle’s Giorginio Wijnaldum has claimed he is too “devastated” about relegation to discuss whether he will stay at St James’s Park (Chronicle). Not quite devastated enough help the club in the Championship just yet then.

@darlingkevin