Saints have finally completed the club record signing of Bologna playmaker Gaston Ramirez.

The 21-year-old forward has agreed a four-year contract at St Mary’s, joining for a fee thought to be about £12m.

The deal for the Uruguay international smashes the previous record of £7m that Saints paid for Burnley striker Jay Rodriguez earlier this summer.

The transfer was a complicated and troublesome one that ended up going right down to the wire, with the club even requiring a successful work permit appeal.

Despite Ramirez having agreed to the terms offered to him by Saints two weeks ago, the club struggled to settle on an appropriate fee and payment structure with Bologna.

The matter was complicated further as Ramirez’s former club, Penarol, owned 30 per cent of his registration, meaning negotiations had to be conducted with them too.

The move turned into a protracted on-off saga, but all the differences were finally settled this week, with the formalities being wrapped up today.

Ramirez certainly represents one of the most exciting signings the club has made.

The 21-year-old arrives with a big reputation, which was enhanced as he starred for Uruguay in the Olympic Games this summer.

Ramirez started his career at Penarol, in Uruguay, but was snapped up by Bologna two years ago for €2.5m.

He went on to score 12 goals in 58 appearances for the Serie A side and won nine caps for Uruguay.