Monaco (AFP) - French Ligue 1 club Monaco on Saturday announced the signing of Ivory Coast international striker Lacina Traore from Russian side Anzhi Makhachkala.
Monaco said the 23-year-old had put pen to paper on a four-and-a-half-year contract in the Principality, although no transfer fee was revealed.
Traore, an imposing 2.03m (6ft 8in) tall, previously played for Romanian side Cluj before moving to Russia with Kuban Krasnodar in 2011 and then joining Anzhi in 2012.
Media reports earlier on Saturday claimed that Monaco would sign Traore before immediately sending him out on loan to English Premier League strugglers West Ham United.