MOSCOW, August 2. /TASS/. Russia’s Zenit St. Petersburg football club has signed up Brazilian striker Malcom, who previously played for Spain’s Barcelona FC, the press office of the Russian club announced on Friday.

Earlier in the week, Spanish sports daily Marca reported that the football club from the Russian second largest city of Saint Petersburg was ready to offer 40 million euros (some $44.5 million) for the 22-year-old forward and the football clubs were in negotiations on the issue as both Malcom and Barcelona FC expressed mutual interest.

The contract between Zenit Saint Petersburg football club and the Brazilian forward has been inked on Friday for the term of five years and the sum of the deal reached 40 million euros stipulating additional five million euros in bonuses to Barcelona FC.

Addressing a news conference on Friday in St. Petersburg, the Brazilian footballer said he was happy to be on the squad and was ready to hit the field starting with the club’s match 4th round match of the RPL against Krasnodar FC on Saturday.

Malcom told journalists that he had already ample time with Barcelona FC training camp and was ready to "be on the field tomorrow" if the Russian club’s head coach decided to put him on the starting grid for the match between Zenit and Krasnodar.

Zenit St. Petersburg FC Head Coach Sergei Semak told journalists he was very glad that such player as Malcom joined the team.

"We have started following Malcom’s achievements about a year ago, when I joined the club," Semak told a news conference. "However, the transfer was too expensive for us at that time and we were granted with an opportunity of purchasing him only this year."

"Malcom is a footballer with great speed, precision and dribbling," Semak continued. "Acquiring a footballer of this level in the Russian football can be rather viewed as an exception to the rules."

The club’s head coach also said that the new regulations regarding foreign footballers allowed to play in the Russian Premier League (RPL), who are also referred to as ‘legionnaires,’ force Russian football clubs to pick the best international footballers.

The Russian Football Union (RFU) decided in June to change the quota of foreign players allowed to play for RPL’s clubs starting next season. The RFU Executive Committee voted in favor of the ‘8+17’ formula in regard to a number of foreign players allowed to play in the Russian football championship beginning with the 2020/2021 season.

"The new limit on [legionnaires’ quota] regulations stipulates that all new legionnaires must be very strong and there are simply no more options," Semak stated. "We need strong legionnaires, and Malcom is among them, for this year’s [UEFA] Champions League as well as for the next RPL season, which will start with new regulations on the foreign players’ quota."

Last year, Barcelona FC paid 41 million Euros ($45.6 million) to sign up the Brazilian forward, according to the daily, therefore the Spanish club’s management has no interest in trading Malcom for a lesser sum. Malcom’s contract with Barcelona FC is in force until the summer of 2023.

Malcom previously played for Brazil’s Corinthians FC (2014-2016) and French FC Bordeaux (2016-2018). Playing for Barcelona FC last season, he booked four goals and two assists in 24 matches.