Paris Saint-Germain are set to pay 90 per cent of Mauro Icardi's salary while the Argentinian is on loan at Galatasaray this season.
According to RMC, Icardi will have the vast majority of his wages paid by parent club PSG, after joining the Turkish giants on loan until the end of the campaign. Icardi scored just five times in 30 appearances last term and has made the switch to the Super Lig as he looks to rejuvenate his career.
However, in an unusual move, Galatasaray tweeted exactly how the 29-year-old's wages will be handled during his loan season in Turkey. Icardi is currently paid €6.75million per year by PSG but Galatasaray will only pay €750,000 of that wage this campaign. That's just 11.1 per cent of Icardi's overall pay, meaning PSG are paying the forward €6m this season, despite the fact he'll be playing for another team.
It has been a manic summer for Galatasaray, who have made some eye-catching additions. Juan Mata has moved to Istanbul after his release by Manchester United, while Lucas Torreira made the permanent switch from Arsenal. Belgian veteran Dries Mertens has also added his name to the list of established internationals at the club. The 35-year-old arrives after nearly a decade at Napoli which included a Ballon d'Or shortlisting in 2017.
But Icardi's move is arguably the most high-profile and it has caused some controversy given PSG's wage stance. However, Arsenal followed a similar strategy with Mesut Ozil in 2021, with the Gunners forking out more than 90 per cent of Ozil's old salary even though he was playing for Fenerbahce.
The 33-year-old agreed to mutually terminate his Arsenal contract back in January 2021 after being frozen out of first team affairs by manager Mikel Arteta. Ozil's deal was due to expire in the summer but he opted to cut short his time at the Emirates to complete a move to boyhood club Fenerbahce on reduced terms.
A key stumbling block in the negotiations with Gunners chiefs at the time was his extortionate £350,000 per week wage, and it was reported by The Athletic that the Gunners were still funding the lion's share of that package until the end of the season. Ozil's first full campaign at Fenerbahce proved to be successful though, with the midfielder chipping in with nine goals in just 22 matches.
However, his contract was terminated at the end of the season after being excluded from the squad alongside Ozan Tufan. Now, Ozil currently plies his trade at Istanbul Basaksahir, where he has made two appearances to date.
