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Tuesday, September 04, 2012

FOOTBALL : Hulk signs for Zenit St Petersburg

Zenit St. Petersburg signed Brazilian striker Hulk to a five-year deal and paying a €40m transfer fee to FC Porto.

The 26-year-old Hulk joined Porto from Japanese side Tokyo Verdy and scored 54 goals in 103 league matches after signing in 2008.

Zenit also signed Alex Witsel, a 23-year-old midfielder from Benfica.

The deal reflects the increasing influence of corporate owner and sponsor Gazprom - a natural gas giant that seems to make the final decisions about player transfers

"We were trying to sign them before the Sept. 3 deadline for the Champions League so they can play for us in that competition as well as the Russian league," Zenit spokesman Dmitry Tsimmerman told Reuters.

Zenit was drawn into Group C of the UEFA Champions League along with AC Milan, Anderlecht and Malaga.

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