Ligue 1 outfit AS Monaco have completed the signing of Italian international forward Stephan El Shaarawy on a one year loan from AC Milan.
The transfer was confirmed on both club’s respective official Twitter accounts on Monday evening as the 22-year-old joins as a replacement for Yannick Ferreira Carrasco, who signed for La Liga side Atletico Madrid last week [via ESPN].
L’@AS_Monaco est heureuse d’annoncer l’arrivée de Stephan El Shaarawy? ! #WelcomeToMonaco pic.twitter.com/qF9UocQLMc
— AS MONACO (@AS_Monaco) July 13, 2015
Goodbye @OfficialEl92 and good luck! Remember: even when we are far from home… #weareacmilan! http://t.co/1P5WiDWxmY
— AC Milan (@acmilan) July 13, 2015
El Shaarawy joins last season’s Champions League quarter-finalists initially on loan, but the French club hold the option of turning it into a permanent deal next summer, provided he impresses in Ligue 1.
He had been linked with a switch to the Premier League as both Arsenal and Liverpool reportedly showed strong interest in the forward [via talkSPORT], but he has opted for a move to France instead.
The move will hopefully bring the best out of El Shaarawy as he is yet to fulfil his undoubted potential after struggling with numerous injuries in the last few years.
Last season he started just 14 Serie A games under former manager Filippo Inzaghi and found the back of the net on three occasions and registered the same number of assists.