Zlatan Ibrahimovic will need a substantial pay raise in order to stay at the recently relegated Juventus, the player's agent warned on Tuesday. "Staying at Juve? He certainly won't with these terms," representative Mino Raiola told Corriere dello Sport. "Zlatan felt good in Turin and he wouldn't have problems in staying, but the contract conditions must change, and not just a little." The Swede striker is reportedly seeking 4 million Euros a season until 2010. But after losing sponsorships and television income due to demotion, Juventus are unlikely to be able to afford the 24-year-old player. The club is set to hear the appeal results for the match-fixing scandal sometime Tuesday. Juventus were found guilty of sporting fraud and relegated to Serie B with a 30 point deduction to their overall tally.
"Our position is clear and the first step is up to the club, we are ready to talk and to discuss," Railoa said. "I'm not pessimistic or optimistic about Zlatan's stay, I'm simply realistic and I live day by day." The exodus of talent has already begun with Gianluca Zambrotta, Lilian Thuram, Emerson and Fabio Cannavaro moving to the Spanish Liga. "It's possible to find a solution, with Juve there is a particular feeling but we must deal with facts because the club could change category and certain big players have already left," the agent added. Ibrahimovic is currently contracted until 2008. Before the fraud probe the Swede international was offered a new contract with new terms lasting until 2010, but nothing was signed and the three directors who oversaw the deal have since left the club. The star hit man, who joined Juventus in 2004, has been linked to Real Madrid, Inter Milan and Manchester United in recent weeks.
