Rio de Janeiro, Dec 30 (IANS): Brazilian champions Cruzeiro agreed to sign former Brazil striker Leandro Damiao on a year-long loan.
The Belo Horizonte club secured the move after agreeing to pay 70 percent of the 25-year-old's salary, or about $148,000 a month, according to sports news portal Lancenet, reports Xinhua.
Damiao scored just 11 times in 43 first-team appearances for Santos this year after his $18 million transfer from Internacional.
In addition to his poor rapport with Santos' fans, Damiao's relationship with the club's hierarchy is said to have been strained by delayed salary payments.
Damiao was once considered one of Brazil's top young strikers and was the Selecao's leading scorer at the London 2012 Olympics with six goals.