Roma On Verge Of Signing Pastore From PSG

Javier Pastore was in advanced talks with AS Roma on Monday after the Argentine midfielder flew to Italy to discuss the terms of a four-year transfer deal from Paris Saint-Germain.

Roma published a photo on their Twitter feed of the 29-year-old arriving at Rome airport and holding up a Roma scarf as banks of fans greeted him in the arrivals lounge.

Paris Saint-Germain are under pressure from UEFA to balance their books after signing Neymar and Kylian Mbappe in blockbuster deals last season, sparking an audit of their financial affairs.

Sources close to Romeasay a fee of 20 million euros ($23M) is expected for the gifted playmaker who was the first major signing PSG made in 2011 after being taken over by their Qatari owners.

The UEFA Club Financial Control Body (CFCB) in May cleared PSG’s ‘break-even requirement’ for 2015, 2016 and 2017, but warned them they were under scrutiny.

“Compliance with the break-even requirement for the 2018 financial year will remain under close scrutiny,” UEFA said.

Neymar arrived in Paris for a world-record fee of 222 million euros ($264 million) from Barcelona, while the club also signed Mbappe on loan from Monaco but with an agreement to sign the teen sensation in a 180-million-euro deal at the end of this campaign.

PSG observers say the club are open to offers for Gonzalo Guedes, Angel Di Maria, Adrien Rabiot and others in a bid to cover Neymar’s transfer fee that way.

Wage bills will also be slashed as Thiago Motta has retired and Hatem Ben Arfa is out of contract.

AFP