Argentine striker Mauro Icardi has expresed his desire to remain at Paris Saint-Germain after his expiration of his loan deal.
The 26-year-old joined the French champions from Serie A club Inter Milan on a season-long loan on deadline day this summer after six years at the San Siro. Since arriving at PSG, Icardi has been brilliant for the Ligue 1 side this season, scoring 17 goals in 19 matches.
While he was at Inter, he scored 124 goals in 219 games, including a sensational 2017/18 season where he scored 29 goals in 34 Serie A games.
New Inter manager Antonio Conte had made it clear that Icardi was not part of his plans after he signed Romelu Lukaku from Manchester United. Lukaku was handed Icardi’s No. 9 shirt because the manager prefers the Belgian striker as his first choice ahead of Icardi.
Also, his (Icardi) relationship with Inter chiefs and their fans went sour. Icardi was stripped of the captaincy in February and did not feature again until April 3. The striker reportedly sued Inter for discrimination and wanted “€1.5 million in damages and to be allowed back into the first-team fold.
PSG are reportedly keen to sign the Argentine striker on a permanent deal worth €70m in January. According to the club’s sporting director Leonardo, Icardi is a perfect signing for the club and they would love to buy the Argentine sensation permanently.
There is no doubt that Icardi’s permanent move to PSG will boost Thomas Tuchel’s already formidable forward line consisting of Kylian Mbappe, Neymar and Edison Cavani.
Spaking to reporters after PSG’s 6-1 thrashing of Saint-Etienne on Wednesday night, Icardi said: “I feel very good in Paris. I haven’t spoken to the club yet, but there are still four or five months left of the season.
“When the season is over in May, we will sit down and talk. If I have a chance to stay, I will be happy.”
