PSG have agreed a deal with Inter Milan to sign Mauro Icardi permanently, sources have confirmed to ESPN. The Argentine striker spent the 2019-2020 season in Paris on loan and will now sign a four-year deal with the French champions.
Sources have said the transfer fee will be €50 million euros plus €7m euros in potential add-ons, which is significantly less than the €70m buy-out clause included in his loan agreement.
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Inter recognised that due to the current situation with the coronavirus pandemic, it was fair to lower their asking price. Inter have long wanted to sell the former La Masia graduate, who joined the Nerazzurri seven years ago from Sampdoria.
As reported by ESPN on Monday, last weekend saw a breakthrough in the negotiations between Wanda Nara, Icardi’s wife and agent, Piero Ausilio, Inter’s sporting director and Leonardo, his PSG counterpart.
All three parties wanted the deal to happen before the end of May, so the future of the 27-year-old forward would be sorted before the Parisians go back to training next month ahead of a proposed start to the 2020-21 Ligue 1 season in August.
Everything has now been agreed, and according to sources, Icardi is delighted to stay in Paris where he will be the first-choice striker on a team expected to be competitive in the Champions League next year and this year if the competition resumes after being put on hold by the coronavirus.
Icardi scored 21 goals in all competitions last season. He started brilliantly before dipping physically due to the absence of preseason and losing his place in the team to Edinson Cavani.
However, Cavani is out of contract on June 30 and will not be offered a new deal at the club. PSG found the perfect replacement to their record goal scorer (200 goals in 301 appearances), albeit with a different profile.