Manchester City confirm signing Argentina striker Aguero
Manchester City and Atletico Madrid have both confirmed that Sergio Aguero’s move to England is now complete, according to Sky Sports.
The 23-year-old put pen-to-paper on Wednesday, but the two clubs have been thrashing out the final details.
Now both sides have confirmed the deal is complete, with City stating the striker has penned a five-year deal and he will wear the number 16 shirt.
City also confirmed that he is set to take part in this weekend’s Dublin Super Cup - which you can see live on Sky Sports.
In a brief statement Atletico announced the deal and thanked Aguero for his service.
“The club thanks him for his services in the past five seasons and wishes him luck with his new club,” said the Atletico statement.
Only the sky seems to be the limit for cash-rich Manchester City who took their spending to dizzy heights by signing Aguero in a mega deal that will cost a staggering £90 million ($146 million), British tabloid ‘The Sun’ reported earlier.
Abu Dhabi-owned Premier League club have agreed to pay Atletico Madrid £38 million ($62 million) for the Argentine striker - and Aguero’s five-year contract, at more than £200,000 a week, will set City back another £52 million ($84 million), it reported.
But the hitman, insists he is worth the money. He said: “I think like a giant, think like a winner.”
The deal easily eclipses City’s previous record, the £32.5 million they paid Real Madrid for Robinho three years ago.
And among British signings it ranks second only to the £50 million Chelsea forked out to take Aguero’s former Atletico team-mate Fernando Torres from Liverpool in January.
Aguero insists he is ready to prove himself in English football, after scoring more than 100 goals in five years in La Liga, at an average of almost a goal every two games.
He has had long chats with Argentina team-mate Javier Mascherano about what to expect - and who he wants to emulate.
He said: “I spoke to Mascherano a lot, about Champions League football and about the Premier League when he was with Liverpool.
“The best Premier League striker I’ve seen, and by a long way, is Didier Drogba at his most powerful - and Torres isn’t far behind.”
Atletico coach Gregorio Manzano hammered Aguero for leaving the Spaniards in the lurch.
Manzano raged: “This has used up a lot of valuable time when we are about to face a Europa League qualifier. He could easily have acted with more class, more care, more professionally and with more humanity.”
“I am now a City player. Happy to be in this club and this city. Thanks to all for the welcome and the reception,” Aguero wrote on his Twitter account on Wednesday.
The Atletico Madrid star, who is the son-in-law of Argentina legend Diego Maradona, earlier underwent a medical in the city.
He is seen as the answer to City’s problems in attack, where Carlos Tevez has reiterated his desire to leave the club.
British press reported on Wednesday that City had reached an agreement with Atletico over Aguero following the intervention of club chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak.