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| Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored against Manchester United in a friendly in July |
Zlatan Ibrahimovic could "plug the financial gap" of Manchester United's failure to reach the Champions League - should he join the club.
The Sweden striker, who is out of contract after four years at Paris St-Germain, could follow former manager Jose Mourinho to Old Trafford.
Football finance expert Rob Wilson says the 34-year-old would be United's most marketable player since Cristiano Ronaldo, and linking up with the three-time European champions would be a "match made in heaven".
Wilson says Ibrahimovic's shirt sales alone would help cover the cosst of finishing fifth in the Premier League this season and missing out on the riches of playing in Europe's elite competition, worth up to £50m.
"It would not surprise me if Zlatan sold more shirts than Ronaldo or Lionel Messi," Wilson, a lecturer at Sheffield Hallam University, told BBC Sport.
"The cost of missing out on the Champions league is £30-50m. Zlatan will help plug that gap significantly with the number of shirts shifted by United.
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| Memphis Depay and Bastian Schweinsteiger were in the top 10 shirt sales last season, the impact of joining a club like Manchester United, according to Wilson |
"To them, they are signing a player who understands commercial endorsements and behaves in a way that allows him to maximise them.
"Put that together and you get the holy grail stakes of shirt sales, and stacks of corporate sponsorship.
"Zlatan is also the sort of player who brings ad hoc ticket buyers to a match, even if it is the Europa League or League Cup.
"It is matching the world's biggest sporting brands with one of the most marketable players, who has cult following, plus it is his career swansong.
"If you marry that with Manchester United, he will probably shift more shirts in the next year than any player in the squad because of the superstar status that he has."
Wilson claimed that Ibrahimovic could become the face of Manchester United.
"Zlatan has a global profile, and global appeal," he said. "Fans will buy shirts with Ibrahimovic on the back in Africa, South East Asia - markets United had a foothold in but not the leverage.
"Only a few select few players can do that: Gareth Bale, Neymar, Lionel Messi and Ronaldo."
If they are the off-pitch benefits of signing Ibrahimovic, what else will the enigmatic Swede bring to Old Trafford and the Premier League?
