Paris Saint-Germain is pleased to announce the signing of Mauro Icardi. The 26-year-old Argentine striker, who also holds Italian citizenship, joins the club on a one-season loan until 30 June 2020 with a purchase option. He is the 16th player from Argentina in the history of Paris Saint-Germain.

Born in the city of Rosario in Argentina’s Santa Fe province, Mauro spent part of his childhood in Spain’s Canary Islands, learning his trade at Union Deportiva Vecindario before joining the youth academy at FC Barcelona between 15 and 17 years old. In January 2011, Mauro moved to Italy where he played 33 matches for Sampdoria, scoring 11 goals for the Genoa-based club's senior team.

But it was Icardi’s subsequent transfer to Inter Milan that led to the attacker becoming one of Serie A’s top scorers. In six seasons with the Nerazzurri he scored 124 goals and made 28 assists in 219 games, topping the Serie A scoring charts in the 2014-15 season (22 goals) and again in 2017-2018 (29 goals) as well as winning the Italian Footballers’ Association’s award for the best player of Serie A in 2018.

On the international stage, the new Paris Saint-Germain striker has made 8 appearances for Argentina scoring one goal. The club welcomes Mauro to Paris and wishes him every success in Rouge & Bleu.

"I’d like to thank Paris Saint-Germain for the confidence they have shown in me," said Mauro Icardi, putting pen to paper on his contract. "I will give everything to help my new team go as far as possible in all competitions. Paris Saint-Germain has become an international football powerhouse, attracting some of the greatest players in recent years. The momentum is strong in Paris, ambitions are high and I am sure that we have everything here to go even further. And I’m really looking forward to playing at the Parc des Princes, a stadium famous for its beauty and passion!”