Robinho was loaned out to boyhood club Santos in January to help him regain his form, after a series of poor performances for the Manchester side, and the club are now looking to offload him but want a deal which would see them recoup most of the £32.5 million they paid for him back in August 2008.
Barcelona’s Swedish striker Ibrahimovic had a poor debut season in Spain, despite scoring 16 goals in 29 appearances, wasting many opportunities, and was dropped by manager Josep Guardiola near the end of the season.
Barcelona are rumoured to be open to offers of around £30m for a player for whom they paid £40m last summer (plus the £16m-rated Samuel Eto'o).
The Catalan club have since paid Valencia £32m for Spanish international David Villa so, as the current La Liga champions tend to play with a lone striker, the Swede may find first-team chances limited next season.
Robinho, meanwhile, is desperate to leave Manchester City now they have failed to clinch Champions League football next season, and the Brazilian’s representative Evandro de Souza has confirmed that his player is likely to leave Eastlands sooner rather than later.
"Robinho's relationship with the leaders of Manchester City is very good, although it is true that there are some problems with [Manchester City manager] Roberto Mancini," he told Spanish daily newspaper Sport.
"The stay at Santos was perfect for the World Cup. If you have a good tournament, it will open the doors of the big European clubs, including Barcelona.
"Any player in the world would love to play at a club like Barca."
The chances of the rumoured transfer going ahead are helped by the fact that current City boss Roberto Mancini has previously worked with Ibrahimovic, bringing him to Inter Milan for just over £20m in 2006.
Barcelona are reported to value Ibrahimovic at £45m, so any deal would presumably include Robinho plus cash.
Robinho scored twice for Brazil on Monday as they beat Tanzania 5-1.
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