Juventus coach Antonio Conte says that Dani Osvaldo accepted a pay cut in order to move from Saints to the Italian giants.

The forward completed a loan switch to the Serie A leaders on transfer deadline day, with an option for the deal to become permanent in the summer.

It is understood that Saints struck an agreement that meant they would not fund any of his wages while he is with Juventus, and it seems that Osvaldo, who is in need of regular football with the World Cup on the horizon, has had to agree to reduced terms with the Turin outfit.

“Osvaldo was an opportunity that we took,” Conte is quoted as saying by the Italian media. “Osvaldo desperately wanted Juventus and reduced his wages by a lot to come to us.

“We are happy to have a player who improves our quality in attack, as we have Serie A and the Europa League to challenge for.”

Osvaldo was moved on from St Mary’s after allegedly headbutting his teammate, José Fonte, in training last month – an incident that prompted the club to suspend him for two weeks. His transfer is initially a loan deal until the end of the season, but Juventus have until May 31 to exercise an option to make it permanent.

If they take that up, they will have to pay Saints £15.5m over three seasons, which would represent a profit on the £12.9m, up to a possible £14.6m, the club agreed to pay to Roma for his services.