Arsenal ‘turned down’ chance to sign £45m PSG hitman in January transfer window

Arsenal had the chance to sign Paris Saint-Germain forward Mauro Icardi last month but decided against the move, according to various reports.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s move to Barcelona left the Gunners short in attacking options but Mike Arteta still opted against a move for the Argentina international who the French side signed for £45 million in 2020.

It is said that the Ligue 1 side were willing to let the player leave after he has struggled for regular game time behind the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi and Neymar.

Here is everything you need to know about the player and what has been reported regarding Arsenal in the January transfer window:

Who is Mauro Icardi?

Mauro Icardi will be a name familiar to many Premier League supporters due to his regular involvement in European competition and on the international stage over the past decade.

The 28-year old started his senior career with Italian Serie A side Sampdoria in 2011 before moving to Inter Milan in 2013.

He spent six seasons at the San Siro and won several individual awards including the Capocannoniere (Serie A top goalscorer) in 2014-15 and 2017-18.

He was also voted the Serie A footballer of the year in 2018 and scored 124 goals in 219 appearances across all competitions during his time at Inter.

He joined PSG in 2019, initially on loan before completing a permanent move in 2020, for a fee in the region of £45 million.

Icardi has so far scored 38 goals in 87 appearances across all competitions for PSG but is not considered first choice for an attacking position and is behind Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi and Neymar.

On the international stage, Icardi has won eight caps for the Argentina men’s side and scored one goal which came in a 2018 friendly win over Mexico.

What has been reported? Arsenal ‘turn down’ chance to sign Icardi

The Athletic first reported that Arsenal had been offered the chance to sign Mauro Icardi last month but turned it down.

It is said that the Ligue 1 side had been willing to negotiate a swap deal with the Gunners but it is not reported who would have been leaving the Emirates in exchange.

Mikel Arteta is understood to have turned down that chance, despite lacking attacking options following Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s move to Barcelona, and opted to stick with Alexandre Lacazette and Eddie Nketiah for the remainder of the season.

Aubameyang still searching for first Barcelona goal

Former Arsenal captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang made his second Barcelona appearance on Sunday in their 2-2 draw away to Espanyol in La Liga.

The 32-year old has featured twice for the Spanish side since leaving the Gunners in January, both times as a second half substitute coming on around the hour mark.

He has played around an hour of football but is yet to find the back of the next for his new club.

Aubameyang made his last Arsenal appearance on December 6 in a 2-1 defeat to Everton and had netted seven times in 15 games for Mikel Arteta’s side before leaving.