Zenit St. Petersburg have officially announced the signing of former Juventus midfielder Claudio Marchisio on a free transfer.

I Principino left the Bianconeri in a surprise departure just before the start of the new season and had been linked with a move to MLS and the Premier League before the surprise announcement yesterday evening.

The Russian side confirmed the signing via a post on their social media accounts before Marchisio confirmed the signing himself.

It’s believed he’ll earn €6-6.5m per season along with a series of performance and appearance related bonuses tied into his contract.

“I had no doubt about signing for Zenit,” said Marchisio, who signed a two-year deal with the Russian club.

“I like the club, I like the ambition. After leaving Juventus, I promised that I would not sign for any other Italian team, but I still wanted to find a place that shares my values.”

The 32-year-old’s signing is in part linked to former Juventus scout Javier Ribalta who recently left Manchester United to take over the Sporting Director role at Zenit.