Arteta stopped the arrival of Icardi at Arsenal

The gunners asked for the Argentine striker as a replacement for Aubameyang, however Arteta said no

Mauro Icardi was close to signing for Arsenal this winter transfer window. The ‘gunners’ were interested in the PSG striker to replace Pierre-Emerick Aubamenyang, who parted ways with the London club to head to the Camp Nou.

According to The Athletic, the possibility of signing the Argentine was on the table, but finally the operation didn’t happen due to the final say of Mikel Arteta, who preferred to trust Alexandre Lacazette and Eddie Nketiah rather than bet on a profile like Icardi’s.

The Parisian club needs to lighten its squad before June 30 and was predisposed to negotiate a transfer, but at the decisive moment Arsenal backed out and bet on its current attacking pair.

Icardi has scored a total of 38 goals in 87 appearances for PSG, however he has struggled to cement a regular place in the starting eleven, even being declared transferable.

The Parisian club paid around 50 million euros for the Argentine in 2020 and would be willing to recover part of its investment by transferring the former Inter player out.

On 2 September 2019, Icardi joined PSG on a one-season loan deal with a €70 million option to buy. On 31 May 2020, PSG and Inter Milan reached an agreement for Icardi’s transfer, worth a reported €60 million. Icardi signed a four-year contract which runs until 2024.

Mauro Icardi reportedly also signed another contract. This time with wife Wanda Nara to save their marriage — and it means he has to give her ALL his assets until 2050. In case you’ve been living under a rock in the last few weeks, Icardi and Wanda have been embroiled in a bitter marital saga.