Paris Saint-Germain complete €40m deal for Chelsea target

Paris Saint-Germain have announced the arrival of Zenit midfielder Leandro Paredes on a four-and-a-half-year deal running until the summer of 2023.

PSG head coach Thomas Tuchel has been frantically scouring Europe for a new midfielder to prevent any collapse from his side during the second half of the campaign.

Adrien Rabiot and Lass Diarra have already played their final games for PSG and the need to bolster their midfield options was made more pressing after Marco Verratti sprained his ankle last weekend.

PSG have been heavily linked with a number of central midfielders but have now successfully signed Paredes after hi-jacking Chelsea’s deal for the Argentina international.

Chelsea agreed a deal in principle with the Russian side at the start of the month but have taken their eye off the ball and allowed PSG to swoop in for the 24-year-old.

PSG have reportedly agreed to pay €40m (£34.8m) for the former Roma midfielder and his arrival is a huge boost ahead of next month’s Champions League encounter with Manchester United.

Since the start of last season, only two players have won possession in the midfield third more times than Paredes (155) in the Russian Premier League.