Paris Saint-Germain secured the first major coup of the Ligue 1 summer transfer window on Sunday by completing the signing of France striker Kevin Gameiro from Lorient on a four-year deal.
Gameiro, who was the second highest scorer in the French top flight last season with 22 goals, signed for a reported fee of 11 million euros ($15.8m) plus add-ons.
"I'm very happy to have signed here," said Gameiro, who hails from nearby Senlis, in an interview with RMC Sport radio station.
"I'm from the Paris region and PSG are the club of my heart. I love the Parc des Princes and I can't wait to play in the stadium. It's a club that I like a lot."
The 24-year-old, who has scored one goal in five international appearances for France, is PSG's second summer signing after the arrival of goalkeeper Nicolas Douchez from Rennes.
Gameiro had been close to a move to Valencia, who first declared an interest in the player during the January transfer window.
However, PSG's recent takeover by a Qatari investment company enabled the club from the French capital to put together a sufficiently attractive package to convince Gameiro to overlook his long-held desire to play in Spain.
"They did everything to get me, which influenced my decision," Gameiro added. "PSG broke the bank to make me come."
Gameiro was also reportedly advised against moving abroad by France coach Laurent Blanc, who wants to see him playing regular first-team football in the build-up to next year's European Championship in Poland and Ukraine.
The former Strasbourg striker will now spearhead PSG's bid to qualify for the Champions League next season, after missing out to Lyon in the 2010-11 campaign.
His arrival is likely to signal the end of Turkish striker Mevlut Erding's PSG career, while Antoine Kombouare's side are expected to make several other additions to their squad over the course of the summer.
Sunday's edition of L'Equipe sport daily claims the French Cup finalists are interested in Saint-Etienne's French international midfielder Blaise Matuidi and are considering entering the race to sign Lille forward Gervinho.
Source: AFP
