PSG sign Paredes from Zenit for €40m

Paris St-Germain have won the race to sign the highly rated Argentinian midfielder Leandro Paredes for €40m (£34.7m) plus €5m in potential add-ons. The 24-year-old has been playing for Zenit St Petersburg since the summer of 2017, having previously represented Boca Juniors, Chievo, Roma and Empoli.

The central midfielder was one of the most sought-after players in this window and PSG will be delighted to have secured him on a long-term deal, especially after losing out on Ajax’s Frenkie De Jong, who has joined Barcelona.

PSG are set to lose one of their central midfielders, Adrien Rabiot, in the summer with the Frenchman having agreed to join Barcelona on a free. The PSG manager, Thomas Tuchel, was keen to bring in Paredes, who has nine caps, to begin a squad overhaul.

PSG will be without Neymar for a considerable time after he suffered a metatarsal injury in his right foot during a 2-0 victory over Racing Strasbourg in the French Cup on Wednesday. They are top of the French league and next play Rennes on Sunday night. They face Manchester United in the last 16 of the Champions League, with the first leg on 12 February.