One of the most electrifying eras in Major League Soccer history came to an end on Wednesday, when Zlatan Ibrahimovic and the LA Galaxy announced that they were mutually parting ways after two seasons together. While the LA Galaxy have time to figure out what to do with the roughly $7 million in savings from Ibra's contract, the clock is ticking for the big striker in terms of figuring out his next move. He will be free to join another club in January.

ESPN FC sources say that Ibra is looking to join a club in the Champions League -- a trophy he's never won -- or one with which he has an emotional connection. He has played for eight European clubs throughout his career, earning 31 major trophies across five countries. It's no surprise that several clubs might be interested in his services, even at 38 years old. A source in MLS recently intimated that Ibra has "received several offers" and that the strongest likelihood is "probably in Italy."

Let's break down his options across the soccer world, one by one.

With reporting from Gab Marcotti, Julien Laurens, Rob Dawson, Stephanie Brantz, Jonathan Johnson, James Horncastle, Stephan Uersfeld and Tom Marshall

Returning to one of the clubs that made him great (or that he made great)

The first batch of teams to consider are places he's played before: There are nine of them spanning two decades, though we can rule out the Galaxy in this equation. For the other eight, it makes some sense to go back: Relationships already exist, the fit could be a little smoother given that familiarity, and most of those clubs also have the financial capacity to pay him. He also performed fairly well for almost all of them, yet the interest levels aren't there, at least not right now, according to sources.

AC Milan, where he won the Serie A title in 2011, are among the front-runners for Ibrahimovic's signature -- Ibra's agent, Mino Raiola, has reportedly offered the striker's services to the Rossoneri in recent weeks -- but according to ESPN FC sources, opinion at the club is divided. MLS commissioner Don Garber's comments about Zlatan being recruited by Milan were misinterpreted in Italy. But the rumours won't go away even though sources say it would go against the club's recent strategy, which, over the course of the past two windows, has exclusively focused on signing players age 25 or younger. Milan need experience and possibly another guarantor of goals now that Krzysztof Piatek, the man who replaced Gonzalo Higuain, is going through a serious dip in form.

Any deal would have to be on Milan's terms: a short contract on low wages relative to Zlatan's earning potential. Do we really expect him to settle, especially with AC Milan not even in the Europa League this season?

Zlatan Ibrahimovic didn't win a trophy in MLS, but he was a revelation over two seasons for the LA Galaxy. Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports

Another former club of Ibra's in Italy is AC Milan's cross-town rivals, Inter Milan, where he won three league titles in three years as well as two Italian Super Cups. They, too, remain a possibility. Inter boss Antonio Conte is looking for another forward, having failed in his bid to sign Edin Dzeko from Roma in the summer, but sources have told ESPN FC that the club are wary of committing. Equally, Ibrahimovic's arrival would likely mean a system shift in terms of how they line up, which seems unlikely with the club back in the Champions League. That said, they could well be eliminated following the group stage -- they're third in Group F behind Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund, with two games remaining -- and that could adjust their thinking.

Ibra spent more time at Paris Saint-Germain than any of his other clubs, with four consecutive league titles and over 150 goals in 180 games. But does a move back to Ligue 1 make any sense? The club has two center-forwards (Edinson Cavani, Mauro Icardi) as well as Kylian Mbappe and Neymar, revamping significantly since the Swede left the club in the summer of 2016. Sources told ESPN that he would have liked to stay maybe a year or two more but left and joined Manchester United. (More on them in a minute.)

In Paris, Zlatan helped the Qatari-owned super-club reach the next level, but the Parisians felt that to keep growing and developing, they needed a new superstar. Ibra will always be a special player in Paris' history, and sources say he might come back someday as an ambassador or in another role, but he won't return as a player.

So how about the Premier League and Manchester United? Ibra won the Community Shield, League Cup and Europa League there in just 18 months, but the club aren't interested. Their league form could benefit from additional scoring following the summer exists of Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez, and, in public at least, manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has not ruled out the prospect of bringing Ibrahimovic back to Old Trafford. But sources tell ESPN FC that the club's transfer strategy is focused on sourcing younger talent.

After scoring 29 goals in 53 games during two seasons in Manchester, Ibrahimovic is still well thought of at the club, but United are insistent they will not make panic signings halfway through the season. Unless Marcus Rashford and/or Anthony Martial suffer significant injuries in the next six weeks, that is unlikely to change.