Paris Saint-Germain reinforced their squad on the Europe-wide deadline day by securing the signature of Real Madrid keeper Keylor Navas and signing wantaway Inter Milan striker Mauro Icardi on a loan deal.
While much of the focus was on the Neymar saga that ultimately ended with the Brazilian staying at Parc Des Princes despite the best efforts of Barcelona, PSG added two more faces instead.
Navas, a 32-year-old Costa Rican played 104 times at Madrid, winning the Champions League three times, and represents a safe pair of hands as first choice for PSG in their quest for European glory.
He has joined PSG on a four-year deal and while no fee has been confirmed, the Spanish press say it was €15 million.
France stopper Alphonse Areola has moved in the opposite direction.
Navas told the PSG website he was relishing the challenge as gatekeeper for PSG’s European quest.
“I come here today with great emotion,” said the 86 times capped Navas voted second best stopper at the 2014 World Cup behind German Manuel Neuer.
“After my Spanish experience, I arrive in France with big ambitions. Paris Saint-Germain is a prestigious club in Latin America and I’m delighted to join a club with such ambitions,” he said.
The 26-year-old Areola joins Madrid on loan with a purchase option and will likely be backup to Belgian stopper Thibaut Courtois.
Icardi was also undergoing a medical in Paris on Monday night ahead of a loan move with an initial option to buy.
The Argentina striker, 26, had long since fallen out with the Nerazzurri management having been stripped of the captaincy last year.
OFFICIAL: Navas signs for @PSG_English from Real Madrid on a four-year deal. Areola goes the other way on loan.
— Sport360° (@Sport360) September 2, 2019
Good bit of business? 🧤 pic.twitter.com/6Pa4F5tWA6
Premier departures
Arsenal midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan has joined Roma on loan for the rest of the season while full-back Matteo Darmian has swapped Manchester United for Parma.
Though the Premier League window has closed for incomings, clubs have still been able to offload players.
Mkhitaryan, who moved to the Emirates Stadium in January 2018 from Manchester United, made 59 appearances in all competitions for the Gunners, scoring nine goals.
A club statement read: “Everyone at Arsenal wishes Micki all the best for his season with Roma. The loan is subject to the completion of regulatory processes.”
Darmian, meanwhile, is the fourth player to leave Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side for Serie A this summer, with Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez having joined Inter Milan before Chris Smalling made his loan switch to Roma last week.
Darmian has long yearned for a return to Italy and it is understood Parma are paying around €4 million for the versatile full-back.
Liverpool have sold youth-team striker Bobby Duncan to Fiorentina after the Serie A side made an offer to buy him permanently.
The PA news agency understands the Italians have paid €2 million up front with a 20 per cent sell-on fee for the player.
Last week the club were firm in their stance that the 18-year-old, a scorer of 32 goals for the under-18s in his first season since arriving from Manchester City, would not be leaving.
Javier Hernandez has left West Ham for Spanish side Sevilla, with Hammers co-owner David Gold confirming the news on social media.
The official club social channel announced that the Mexican forward had moved to Sevilla on a permanent basis for an undisclosed fee.
Former Tottenham striker Fernando Llorente has joined Serie A side Napoli.
The Spanish forward already has two Scudetto titles from his time in Italy with Juventus between 2013 and 2015.
At the north London side, he scored 13 goals in 66 appearances, including significant goals last season against Borussia Dortmund and Manchester City as Tottenham reached the final of the Champions League.
Llorente had been without a club since he left Spurs at the end of his contract in June.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan has arrived in Rome... ✈️👋 pic.twitter.com/APvE8igkMp
— AS Roma English (@ASRomaEN) September 2, 2019
Rebic a Serie A signing
Elsewhere, Eintracht Frankfurt’s Croatian forward Ante Rebic is on his way to AC Milan on a two-year loan in a swap with Portugal’s Andre Silva, the Bundesliga club confirmed on Monday.
“The two clubs have reached agreement and if all goes well Andre Silva will be wearing the (Frankfurt) eagle on his shirt while Rebic will be in Milan,” said Frankfurt sporting director Fredi Bobic, adding that the deal is subject to medicals for both players.
Rebic had made clear to Frankfurt management his desire for a move to Italy’s Serie A, said Bobic, speaking late Sunday after the club’s 2-1 Bundesliga win against Fortuna Duesseldorf.
“It was his big wish to go to Italy and launch himself into a new challenge,” he said of Rebic, 25, a losing World Cup finalist with Croatia in 2018.
Unsettled Silva, the 23-year-old Portuguese international, has also been seeking a move. Financial details of the deal were not disclosed.
Comunicato Ufficiale: Ante Rebić ⬇https://t.co/s2zh4STVPy
— AC Milan (@acmilan) September 2, 2019
