Inter Milan has reportedly reached a deal with Russian club Anzhi Makhachkala for the transfer of striker Samuel Eto'o, a deal that should make the Cameroon international the highest paid footballer in the world.

After several days of negotiations, Italian media reported yesterday that the two clubs have agreed on a transfer fee of 27 million euros (US$38.9 million). Anzhi is expected to give the 30-year-old a three-year deal worth 20 million euros per season, surpassing the estimated 12 million euros that Cristiano Ronaldo earns at Real Madrid and the 10.5 million euros that Lionel Messi is paid by Barcelona. Anzhi, from the troubled southern Russian province of Dagestan, is owned by oil tycoon Suleiman Kerimov.