Zenit St Petersburg sign Hulk and Witsel in reported €80m double deal

Zenit St Petersburg have signed Hulk from Porto and Axel Witsel from Benfica, both on five-year deals, for a reported fee €80 million, according to the Russian club's website.

The 26-year-old Hulk will wear the No.29 shirt for Luciano Spalletti's side, who currently sit top of the Russian Premier League after seven games.

Hours after announcing a deal for the Brazilian, Zenit also confirmed the signing of Belgian midfielder Witsel, who will take the No.28 jersey.

"It's now official. Both players had signed five-year deals," Zenit spokesman Dmitry Tsimmerman was reported as saying by Rueters.

"We were trying to sign them before the September 3 deadline for the Champions League so they can play for us in that competition as well as the Russian league."

Having cut his teeth in Japanese football with Kawasaki Fontale, Consadole Sapporo and Tokyo Verdy, Hulk moved to Os Dragoes in 2008 and helped the club to three league titles, three Tacas de Portugal and the Uefa Cup.

He has won 13 Brazil caps since making his debut in 2009, and was part of the Selecao's Olympic team that claimed silver in London.

Witsel, meanwhile, had been heavily linked with a summer move to Real Madrid, but the former Standard Liege man, who has represented Belgium at every age group, has now made the move to Zenit.

Benfica confirmed on their official website that the fee paid for their prized asset was the contractual release clause of €40m.

The St Petersburg club have been drawn against AC Milan, Anderlecht and Malaga in the Champions League.

Chelsea confirm signing of Werder Bremen playmaker Marin

Blues wrap up deal to bring the 23-year-old German international to Stamford Bridge next season in a deal reported to be worth between €7-8m

Chelsea have confirmed the the signing of Marko Marin from Werder Bremen for a fee reported to be between €7-8m.

The 23-year-old has agreed personal terms with the club and will join the Blues in the summer on a five-year contract.

Werder Bremen's general manager Klaus Allofs confirmed the winger would be leaving the Germany to join the Champions League finalists.

He told Sky: "I can confirm that [he signed a five-year-contract]. The last formalities were sorted out today and I can confirm that he will be a Chelsea player next year."

Marin joined Werder Bremen from Borussia Mochengladbach in 2009, making 83 appearances for the club and scoring eight goals.

The winger has also represented the German national team 16 times, scoring one goal.

The German's arrival at Stamford Bridge has cast further doubt over Florent Malouda's future at the club.

Arsenal sign Lukas Podolski

The Gunners have been linked with the German international throughout the season, and his club have now confirmed he will switch to the Premier League this summer

Koln striker Lukas Podolski will join Arsenal in the summer for an undisclosed fee, the Bundesliga club has announced.

n an official statement on the club’s official website confirming the deal, executive board chairman, Claus Horstmann admitted that Koln had offered the player new “competitive” terms on his contract, but with just one year left on his current deal, a transfer was best for the team.

Horstmann said: “We deeply regret his step, which is not a decision against [the club] but for the good of his own career. Koln were prepared to extend Lukas Podolski's contract on the basis of a competitive offer.

“Nonetheless, this early transfer decision offers scope and planning security for the next season. We will jump at this opportunity to reinvest these transfer earnings back into our team's quality and into the promotion of our youth squads.

“Lukas has helped the club in many difficult situations, Lukas has left a mark on Koln's reputation and we feel the need to thank him for numerous great football experiences at Koln.”

The move has long been in the offing, with the striker's former boss Stale Solbakken admitting just two weeks ago that a move to England was on the cards and Gunners' manager Arsene Wenger publicly stating his admiration for the former Bayern Munich player in March.

And Wenger, himself, speaking to Arsenal's official website, spoke of his happiness at securing the signature of the "top-class player": "We are delighted to secure the deal for Lukas and see him as an important part of our future. He is a top-class player, a very good finisher and a proven performer at club and international level. He is a very strong player and will provide us with good attacking options.

"We are happy to have made this signing early and we are looking forward to watching Lukas contribute at the European Championships over the summer, a level where he has already made 95 caps at the age of 26. That is a phenomenal record and just shows his quality as a player.”

Ahead of the move, the 26-year-old has thanked the Koln fans before his summer switch to the Emirates Stadium: “The move to Arsenal provides a great opportunity for me to gain experience in international competitions at a European top club.

“I have made this decision not against Koln but for this great opportunity and the good of my own individual development.

“This was not an easy decision for me at all, as Koln, our fans and the city are something special for me.

“I will always carry Koln in my heart. We need to pool our strengths now and have to be fully focussed on our survival in the Bundesliga.”

The striker, who has notched 43 goals in just 95 games for the Germain international side, spoke of his delight at joining Arsenal on the club's official website: "I’m so happy to be joining Arsenal and to play in the Premier League. Arsenal is one of the top clubs in Europe with a huge history.

"There are many top quality players at Arsenal and the style of football which the team plays is fantastic. I’m proud to become an Arsenal player and am looking forward to playing my first match at Emirates Stadium and doing my best for all the Arsenal fans."

Podolski will stay at Koln for the remainder of the campaign to help their ongoing fight against relegation before moving to England.