By Betsefy
Galatasaray have completed the signing of Mauro Icardi from Paris Saint-Germain on a season-long loan.
The Argentina international struggled for opportunities under Mauricio Pochettino last season, and his situation in the French capital did not improve following the arrival of Christophe Galtier.
Icardi found himself behind Lionel Messi, Neymar, Kylian Mbappe and Pablo Sarabia in the pecking order, while Hugo Ekitike has boosted Galtier’s options after joining on loan from Reims.
As a result, the former Inter Milan striker was expected to at least secure a loan move elsewhere in the summer transfer window and was said to have been in talks over a move to Manchester United.
However, a move to Old Trafford did not materialise for Icardi, who will ply his trade on loan in Turkey for the 2022-23 campaign after making the switch to Galatasaray.
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The Super Lig side do not possess an option or obligation to make the deal permanent at the end of the season, and PSG will contribute towards the majority of Icardi’s yearly salary.
The striker will earn a total of €6.75m (£5.86m) for the upcoming season, and PSG will pay €6m (£5.2m) of that packet, while Galatasaray are set to fork out just €750k (£651.4k).
“I would like to thank our fans for making this beautiful welcome. My family and I were very impressed. It was an incredible welcome,” Icardi told the official Galatasaray website.
“I was very impressed that they showed such love as soon as they arrived. I got a lot of offers this summer. We had long dialogues with Mr. Erden [Timur]. As a result, I came here. He did everything he could. I am so happy to finally be here.
“When I was playing for PSG, I came here and scored a goal in this stadium. At the moment, I will defend the Galatasaray jersey. I hope I will continue to score here and share my goal joys for Galatasaray.
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“Hopefully we can bring this team back to the top level again. Galatasaray is a team that always aims high. We want to be a part of it. The players, the staff, all the fans want to celebrate it by introducing another Champions League night.”
Icardi has totalled 38 goals and 10 assists in 92 appearances for PSG across all competitions, but he did not make a single appearance under Galtier this term prior to his temporary exit.
The 29-year-old remains under contract at the Parc des Princes until 2024 and amassed just four goals in Ligue 1 last season, starting 10 top-flight games in total as he won his second Ligue 1 title.
Icardi is one of several standout names to have left PSG on loan in the summer window, joining Georginio Wijnaldum, Ander Herrera, Colin Dagba, Layvin Kurzawa and Leandro Paredes out of the exit door on a temporary basis.
Les Parisiens will aim to hold their position at the top of the Ligue 1 table when they welcome Brest to the Parc des Princes on Saturday.
