Inter Milan have announced that they have sanctioned the sale of Mauro Icardi to Paris Saint-Germain, thereby ending his seven-year association with the club.
The Argentina international fell out-of-favour after manager Antonio Conte took charge of the Nerazzurri last summer and he was loaned out to Les Parisiens for the 2019/2020 season.
Prior to the coronavirus shutdown, Icardi accumulated a tally of 20 goals and four assists for Les Parisiens from 31 appearances and it was anticipated that the club may make the attempt to sign him permanently.
The French champions were reluctant to meet the £62m buy clause inserted into the player’s loan deal and they have eventually managed to negotiate a reduced fee of £45m with £6.3m in add-ons for his permanent signature.
Icardi was in-and-out of the starting lineup between January and March with manager Thomas Tuchel tending to rotate him alongside veteran star Edinson Cavani upfront.
However, with Cavani potentially heading through the exit door this summer, Icardi should be assured the starting spot alongside Neymar and Kylian Mbappe in the club’s frontline next term.
Cavani is currently contracted to Les Parisiens until the end of June but the club are likely to offer him a short-term extension with the Champions League campaign due to recommence in August.
Despite his injury concerns this term, the Uruguay international remains a key member of the squad but he may not stay put next season without the guarantee of a starting spot.
Meanwhile, Inter have managed to make a good piece of business with Icardi, considering the striker was deemed surplus to requirements and had no future at the club under Conte.
Aside from Icardi, the club could also part ways with Ivan Perisic on a permanent deal in the near future. The Croatian is presently out on loan with Bayern Munich, where he has bagged five goals and eight assists.
The German champions have already allowed the £18m buy option to expire but the Nerazzurri have opened the door to negotiate a lesser fee based on the current financial situation.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com