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London - Manchester City on Wednesday confirmed the signing of striker Wilfried Bony on a four-and-a-half-year deal from Swansea.
"City have completed the signing of Wilfried Bony from Swansea City," the English champions announced on their website.
"The 26-year-old striker has agreed terms on a four and a half year deal which will keep him at the Etihad Stadium until the end of the 2018/19 season."
There was no immediate word on what the transfer fee would be but British media reports had claimed that Manchester City had agreed to pay up to £28 million for the Ivory Coast player.
Bony was quoted as saying: “As a player it’s always good to be part of one of the biggest clubs in the world and it’s a good opportunity for me to be in that situation now – I’m really proud."
"I think it’s a great decision for me - Manchester City is in the Champions League. You remember at the end of last season I said that if I want to move it will be to a team in the competition because it’s a great tournament that I really want to play in and one that I want to win.
"It’s a motivation for me to give my maximum to be in that place. City is a big club with great players with a lot of experience; I believe we can do it.”
Bony is thought to have undergone a medical examination with City in Abu Dhabi, where the club's owners are based.
He is currently on international duty with Ivory Coast at the Africa Cup of Nations in Equatorial Guinea.
The dreadlocked centre-forward joined Swansea from Dutch side Vitesse Arnhem in 2013 for a club-record fee of £12 million.
He was the Premier League's top scorer in 2014 with 20 goals and has scored nine times in 22 appearances this season.
City boss Manuel Pellegrini is a long-standing admirer of the player and his ability.
"He is very difficult to mark because he is so strong," he said.
"He is an intelligent footballer who has skill and power. His goals record has been excellent since he came to England. He adapted very quickly to the game here and I think he will settle in at City quickly.
“He will be a very good addition to our squad. We now have four top
class strikers and I am looking forward to seeing them work together.”
City confirm the deal:
BONY SIGNS: We are delighted to announce the signing of Wilfried Bony: http://t.co/iRQHtMGe3x #mcfc #welcomebony pic.twitter.com/FRvgHcYc0w
— Manchester City FC (@MCFC) January 14, 2015
