Vasco da Gama have announced the sale of central midfielder Romulo to Spartak Moscow for a fee of €8 million.

GettyImagesRomulo scored in Brazil's recent friendly with Argentina

Romulo, 22, will feature for Brazil at this summer's Olympic Games before joining the Russian side after the London event.

Capped five times by his country, Romulo is a rising star of the South American game, known for his passing ability from a deep midfield role.

Rumoured to have been close to joining Juventus, the offer from Spartak has come out of the blue, with it widely believed that the player would be heading for Spain or Italy this summer.

Vasco, who are in a difficult financial position, will only receive 50% of the transfer fee, with former side Porto-PE receiving 25% and investors receiving the other 25%.