Serie A: Argentina midfielder Javier Pastore joins AS Roma from Paris Saint-Germain

Rome: Argentinian attacking midfielder Javier Pastore joined AS Roma on Tuesday from French champions Paris Saint-Germain in a 24.7-million-euro ($28.8 million) deal. [caption id=“attachment_4602791” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Javier Pastore joined AS Roma in a 24.7-million-euro deal. Image courtesy: Twitter @ASRomaEN[/caption] The 29-year-old, who has two goals in 29 appearances for Argentina but missed out on selection for the World Cup, signed a five-year contract with Roma that runs until June 30, 2023. “I am very happy to be here at Roma,” said Pastore, who previously played in Serie A with Palermo from 2009-11 and was named the league’s young player of the season in 2010. “It is great to return to Italy, and to do it with such a great club. “I hope to repay in full all the enthusiasm, support and affection that Roma fans have shown me already,” said the gifted playmaker, who was the first major signing PSG made in 2011 after being taken over by their Qatari owners. Pastore’s move back to Italy comes with Paris Saint-Germain under pressure from UEFA to balance their books after signing Neymar and Kylian Mbappe in blockbuster deals last season, sparking an audit of their financial affairs. The UEFA Club Financial Control Body (CFCB) in May cleared PSG’s ‘break-even requirement’ for 2015, 2016 and 2017, but warned them they were under scrutiny. “Compliance with the break-even requirement for the 2018 financial year will remain under close scrutiny,” UEFA said. Neymar arrived in Paris for a world-record fee of 222 million euros ($264 million) from Barcelona, while the club also signed Mbappe on loan from Monaco but with an agreement to sign the teen sensation in a 180-million-euro deal at the end of this campaign. PSG observers say the club are open to offers for Gonzalo Guedes, Angel Di Maria, Adrien Rabiot and others in a bid to cover Neymar’s transfer fee that way. Wage bills will also be slashed as Thiago Motta has retired and Hatem Ben Arfa is out of contract.