PSG unveil Italian starlet Verratti

Posted Thursday, July 19, 2012 by YAHOO Sport

Italian teenager Marco Verratti was on Wednesday presented to the media as Paris Saint-Germain's third signing of the summer.

Verratti, 19, joins PSG on a five-year contract from newly promoted Italian side Pescara, in a transfer reportedly worth an initial 11 million euros ($13.4m), potentially rising to 15m euros with bonuses.

"The players here are great champions," Verratti told reporters at a press conference at Parc des Princes.

"I've seen them on television and now I'm training with them. It gives me a huge desire to do well here.

"It doesn't happen every day that a young player can join a great club like this. I'll do my best to repay PSG's faith in me."

Verratti, compared to Juventus midfielder Andrea Pirlo by PSG coach Carlo Ancelotti, is an Italy Under-21 international and was named in Cesare Prandelli's provisional Italy squad for Euro 2012.

"We are very happy to announce the transfer of Marco Verratti," said PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi.

"He's young and we believe he's the future of Italian football. We hope he'll have a big impact at PSG. He's young and talented and we expect a lot from him in the future."

Verratti joins Argentine forward Ezequiel Lavezzi and Brazil centre-back Thiago Silva in moving to big-spending PSG this summer.

He is set to be joined at Parc des Princes by Swedish star Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who is due to be presented to the media later on Wednesday.