Osvaldo arrives in Argentina ahead of Boca move

Bad Boy Dani Osvaldo has arrived in his Argentina to sign for Boca Juniors. The Argentine-born Italy international is set to finalise his move to the club he supported as a boy in a deal that will see him earn a weekly wage nearing £70,000. That would make him the highest-paid player in Argentina.

The forward will initially move on loan and Boca are hoping that Osvaldo will be available should the club reach the latter stages of the Copa Libertadores. The semi-finals of the competition are scheduled for early July with the two-legged final in late July and early August.

Osvaldo saw his time at Southampton brought to a premature close in January 2014 when he was shipped out to Juventus after a training-ground clash with team-mate Jose Fonte. A season-long loan at Inter Milan came to an end after an on the field clash with team-mate and Argentine compatriot Mauro Icardi. Coach Roberto Mancini became involved and received a volley of abuse from Osvaldo and his loan was brought to a quick end.

“I was playing well and scoring goals, until everyone knows what happened and things ended badly,” Osvaldo said when he arrived in Argentina last night.

“Likewise, every cloud has a silver lining and I now have the opportunity to fulfill a dream I have had of playing for Boca.”

He added: “I haven’t trained for 20 days so I hope to get back in shape quickly. My family and friends are happy with my arrival at Boca so I hope I am calm when I enter the Bombonera.”

Later, he tweeted: “Now if I can say this is one of the happiest days of my life!!! I hope the joys continue to grow!”

There is no mention of any transfer fee for a player who joined Southampton from Roma in a £15million deal only 18 months ago. Osvaldo is under contract at St Mary’s until 2017 meaning a sale this summer for anything less than £7.5million will see the Premier League club take a hit under Financial Fair Play rules.