Paris Saint-Germain have announced the arrival of teenage midfielder Gabriel Moscardo from Corinthians on a long-term contract.
The 18-year-old joins the French champions on a four-and-a-half-year deal until the summer of 2028, and he has been loaned straight back to Corinthians for the rest of the season.
PSG are understood to have paid €20m (£17.1m) for Moscardo's signature, having activated a release clause in his contract, and the midfielder - whose preferred position is as a number six - becomes their second signing of the January window after compatriot Lucas Beraldo.
"I'm very happy to be joining Paris Saint-Germain; this is one of the best days of my life. It's a project with some talented young players in it," Moscardo told the official PSG website.
"I'm looking forward to joining up with the squad and to meeting the team and the coaching staff, and I hope to win many trophies with Les Rouge et Bleu and to make the fans happy,"
A member of the Corinthians youth setup since 2017, Moscardo was promoted to their senior squad in the summer of 2023 and played 25 times for the club in all competitions last season.
During the closing stages of the Brasileiro campaign, Moscardo netted his first goal for the club in a 4-2 win over Vasco da Gama, a few days before registering his first assist in a 2-1 loss to Internacional.
Welcome to Paris, Gabriel Moscardo!
— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) January 25, 2024
❤️💙 #WelcomeMoscardo pic.twitter.com/srY21uBPoJ
Moscardo also made his Copa Libertadores debut in a 3-0 win over Uruguayan outfit Liverpool FC Montevideo before starting four successive Copa Sudamericana fixtures, as Corinthians lost to Fortaleza in the semi-finals.
Thanks to his breakthrough at club level, Moscardo earned his debut for Brazil's Under-23s in a 1-0 friendly loss to Morocco in September, but his Corinthians contract was due to expire this summer.
Last November, the teenager confirmed that Chelsea had been in touch to register their interest in a deal, while Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester United and Barcelona were also believed to be in the running.
Amid stiff competition from the Premier League, PSG moved quickly to trigger Moscardo's release clause, although a move for the midfielder briefly stalled after his medical revealed a foot injury.
Moscardo announced that he would require an operation to treat the problem - believed to be a small fracture - and would miss three months of action, ruling himself out until the beginning of April.
Despite the revelation, PSG remained committed to bringing Moscardo to the Parc des Princes, and he will officially link up with his teammates this summer once he has made a full recovery.
Ben Knapton
