Zlatan Ibrahimovic's future is in doubt after he underwent knee surgery which is set to keep him sidelined for eight months.
The 40-year-old, fresh from winning the Serie A title with AC Milan, had a planned procedure on his left knee to repair damage and instability caused by a previous anterior cruciate ligament injury and is expected to be out for at least the remainder of the year.
Ibrahimovic's current deal at the San Siro expires this summer and he is not expected to be fit until midway through the 2022/23 campaign.
A Milan statement on their official website read: "AC Milan announces that Zlatan Ibrahimovic underwent an operation on his left knee carried out by D Bertrand Sonnery-Cottet, with the club's medical director Stefano Mazzoni in attendance, at the Hopital Jean Mermoz in Lyon.
"The arthroscopy had been planned for a while to definitively resolve the joint's instability through the reconstruction of the anterior cruciate ligament, with lateral reinforcement and meniscus reparation.
"The operation was a complete success and the prognosis is estimated between seven and eight months."
The veteran striker scored eight goals for AC Milan this season as they won the Scudetto for the first time in 11 years.
Ibrahimovic: I'm a little scared to stop playing
Ibrahimovic said earlier this season that he wants to stay at AC Milan for the rest of his career, admitting he is "scared to stop" playing due to the uncertainty of what comes next after retirement.
"I want to play as long as possible. As long as I have that adrenaline, I will continue," Ibrahimovic told the Italian talk show Che Tempo Che Fa in December.
"Let's put pressure on Milan here to give me an extension and I hope to stay at Milan for life. I still have objectives that I can achieve and I want to win another Scudetto.
"I don't know what will happen after football, so I am a little scared to stop. We'll see, but I want to continue playing so that I don't have any regrets."