PARIS, Sept 2 — Paris Saint-Germain completed the signing of Spain midfielder Carlos Soler from Valencia on European transfer deadline day on Thursday, after earlier confirming the departure of Idrissa Gana Gueye, with the Senegal star returning to former club Everton.
Soler, 25, has signed a five-year deal with PSG confirming the news barely two hours before the transfer window closed in France.
Spanish media reports said Valencia would receive an initial €18 million (RM80.2 million) plus €2 million more in potential add-ons.
Soler, who scored 11 goals in La Liga in each of the last two seasons, has been capped nine times by Spain.
“It’s a new adventure in my career. I feel very proud and I’m looking forward to starting work with my teammates, to meeting them, and giving everything for this shirt,” Soler told PSG’s official website.
His arrival comes a day after fellow Spanish international midfielder Fabian Ruiz moved to Paris from Napoli.
Meanwhile, Gueye returned to Everton as the French champions continued to offload unwanted members of their squad.
Gueye, 32, moved to Goodison Park for an undisclosed fee and has penned a two-year contract to June 2024, the Premier League side said.
French media reports said PSG could expect to receive a fee in the region of €10 million.
“Paris Saint-Germain would like to wish Idrissa Gueye the very best for the future,” PSG said in a statement.
Gueye previously spent three years at Everton before moving to PSG in 2019 for a reported £30 million.
The former Lille and Aston Villa player notably won two Ligue 1 titles in Paris, and also featured on their run to the Champions League final in 2020.
Gueye made 34 appearances last season but was one of several PSG players frozen out since the appointment of Christophe Galtier as coach in July.
PSG have been eager to reduce their wage bill to leave more room for new signings while also respecting Uefa’s financial sustainability regulations.
German international midfielder Julian Draxler has departed the French capital to join Portuguese giants Benfica on loan until the end of the season.
Gueye’s Senegal international teammate Abou Diallo, 26, has also left PSG, in his case to return to the Bundesliga to join RB Leipzig on loan.
The German club have an option to make the deal permanent at the end of the campaign.
Centre-back Diallo, who can also play as a left-back, joined PSG at the same time as Gueye in 2019, costing €32 million from Borussia Dortmund.
Also leaving PSG on Thursday was Layvin Kurzawa, with the left-back moving to the Premier League to join Fulham on loan until the end of the season. — AFP
