FC Porto has officially announced the signing of Italian striker Pablo Daniel Osvaldo.
The Portuguese club announced the arrival of the 29-year-old Italian international on Wednesday with a photograph of the player in training, but did not disclose any details about the transfer, reports Efe.
According to the Portuguese press, enlisting the Argentina-born Osvaldo was performed using a "transfer bridge," a practice condemned by world football's governing body FIFA, which is to transfer a player to a destination club via a "bridge club," with which the player never actually plays.
After finishing his contract with English side Southampton, Osvaldo signed with Sud America (in Uruguay's second division) to avoid being transferred to Porto as a free agent, thus reducing taxes for the Portuguese club.
The South American club was sanctioned by FIFA in 2014 with a prohibition of buying and selling players for two seasons and a fine of 32,000 euros ($34,874), although the decision has been suspended after an appeal by the club.
