Southampton Pay Club-Record £15m for Roma and Italy Striker Pablo Osvaldo

Southampton have completed a club-record £15 million deal to sign Roma and Italy striker Pablo Osvaldo.

As per the club's website, the 27-year-old has signed a four-year deal with the Premier League club and will be rolled out to the media on Monday.

Southampton's official release says of Osvaldo: "The frontman is expected to be available for next Saturday's Barclays Premier League game against Sunderland at St Mary's, and will be officially presented as a Southampton player tomorrow."

It is also pointed out that Osvaldo, who has scored 79 goals in 232 senior appearances, will be "reunited with Saints' First Team Manager Mauricio Pochettino, who he played under during his successful 18-month spell with Spanish side RCD Espanyol."

Osvaldo has played nine times for Italy and managed a haul of 16 goals in Serie A with Roma last season. Most would agree his capture represents a notable coup for the Saints.

Osvaldo becomes Southampton's third signing of the summer, following Victor Wanyama (Celtic) and Dejan Lovren (Lyon).

Lovren played himself into Sam Tighe's Premier League Team of the Week in Southampton's Saturday's 1-0 win against West Brom, getting Pochettino's side off to the perfect start.

With Osvaldo's deal done, these are heady times indeed for the South Coast team, who won automatic promotion to the Premier League in the 2011-12 season. Southampton finished 14th in their first season back in the Premier League and have strengthened this summer to enhance their chances of staying afloat another year.

As for Osvaldo, B/R's Italian expert Matteo Bonetti suggests Roma have made the right move. Their young striker Mattia Destr is highly rated and will now get more chances.

It will be exciting to see how Osvaldo links up with Southampton's England international Rickie Lambert, who scored on his international debut—with his first touch—and also grabbed the winner against West Brom.