Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand urges Arsenal to sign Zlatan Ibrahimovic

Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand has urged Arsenal to sign Paris Saint-Germain striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic in the summer with the Swede's contract with the Ligue 1 club ending after the end of the season. The 34-year-old scored the second goal against Chelsea, which saw the Blues go out of the tournament and all but ended their hopes of qualifying for Europe's biggest club competition next season.

Ferdinand believes Ibrahimovic will bring a winning mentality into the club, which has long been missing at Arsenal, with the Gunners failing to capitalise on their start and having trickled away in the race to win the title. Arsenal, who were top of the league in January, have gone through a run of five games without a win in all competitions, which has seen them go eight points behind Leicester City with only nine games remaining in the season.

The major reason behind their failure to cope is their inability to score goals, with the likes of Olivier Giroud and Theo Walcott breaking their goalscoring drought with a brace each against Championship side Hull City in the FA Cup after a two month hiatus. Ferdinand believes Ibrahimovic will alleviate that concern and give the Gunners a platform to win titles next season.

The Gunners, should they move for the Swede, have to fend off competition from Manchester United, who, according to Le10Sport, have already been contacted by Jose Mourinho for a move to Old Trafford. The former Chelsea manager has made him his prime contact for the summer after reports emerged that he has a "gentleman's agreement" with the club over a move after the end of the season.

"Arsenal. He would give them that winning mentality. He can be the catalyst to winning things because that's what he does," Ferdinand told BT Sport, as quoted by the Express.

"This game was decided by clinical play and he [Ibrahimovic] was at the centre of that. He basically ended the tie. He showed today that even at 34, English clubs should be looking at him as a free transfer."