LONDON (AFP) – Ivory Coast international Wilfried Bony has signed for Swansea City in a club record deal, the English Premier League side said on Thursday.
The Swans paid £12 million ($17.9 million, 13.9 million euros) to secure the Vitesse Arnhem striker’s services, beating the £5.5 million for Spanish winger Pablo Hernandez last year.
Bony signed a four-year contract at the Welsh club’s pre-season training camp in the Netherlands, they said on their website swanseacity.net.
“This move has been talked about for quite some time, so I am delighted it is all completed,” said Bony, who is nicknamed “Daddy Cool” in the Netherlands.
“Now it is important that I focus my mind on the challenge ahead because I hope to make the Swansea fans very happy.”
Bony, capped 20 times for his country, described the transfer as “the perfect move” but said he chose Swansea ahead of a number of foreign clubs because of their style of play, manager Michael Laudrup and the lure of the Premier League.
The striker played 65 times for Vitesse after moving from Sparta Prague in 2011, scoring 46 times, including 31 in 30 games last season.
But he admitted that England’s top flight would be harder than the Dutch league.
“I had my best season last year at Vitesse with 36 goals in all competitions. It is going to be tougher in the Premier League to score goals, but I will try my best. Everything is possible.”
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