Hulk ditches Premier League dream in incredible £39.5m move to Russian side Zenit

Brazilian attacker Hulk, linked with Chelsea all summer, has completed an eyewatering £39.5million switch to Zenit St Petersburg from Porto.

The Russian side have splashed the cash that the Blues refused to on the 26-year-old Olympic silver medallist.
Zenit then stumped up £32m (40m euros) for Belgian midfielder Axel Witsel who plied his trade at another Portuguese side, Benfica.

Going, going, gone: Hulk has finally left Porto

 

Both players have been given five-year deals.
Hulk, a powerful striker who can also play as a winger, came very close to a move to Stamford Bridge in the transfer window but Chelsea would not stump up the 50m euros fee Zenit decided to pay.
Zenit manager Luciano Spalletti had named Hulk among several transfer targets in July.
‘I have left the door open to be transferred,’ said Hulk earlier in the summer.
‘My preference is to play in England or Spain because they are the most watched league in the world. Now is a great time for me to move.’
Tottenham were also interested in the striker and manager Andre Villas-Boas even met with him over the summer while Hulk was in London for the Games.
He moved to Porto from Japanese side Tokyo Verdy in 2008, grabbing 54 goals in 103 league matches, and has 13 Brazil caps.
It is possible Hulk could yet play in England in the future, but as he is just coming into his prime any potential fees are likely to be extremely prohibitive.

Dream move? Hulk wanted to play in England or Spain

He could even star at Stamford Bridge as early as this season - Zenit could draw Chelsea in the Champions League if both sides make it through the group stage.
The Blues are currently linked with another player who left Porto for a giant transfer fee - Falcao for around £35m to Atletico Madrid.