AC Milan have completed the signing of Klaas-Jan Huntelaar from Real Madrid after the Dutch international striker successfully came through a medical at the San Siro on Friday.
Milan announced on their official Web site that Huntelaar had signed a four-year deal. No fee for the player was disclosed but reports have suggested a figure of $21 million secured Huntelaar’s services. Spanish giants Real are seeking to balance the books after a summer of massive spending and are set to offload other members of their Dutch contingent, with Wesley Sneijder, Rafael van der Vaart, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Arjen Robben all the subject of transfer speculation. Milan lost their star forward Kaka to Madrid earlier this summer, and will add Huntelaar to an attacking pool of Brazilians Ronaldinho and Alexandre Pato plus veteran Italian Filippo Inzaghi and Marco Borriello. Huntelaar becomes the latest in a long list of Dutchmen to join the Rossoneri, following in the footsteps of Marco van Basten, Ruud Gullit and Frank Rijkaard. “Milan, the club and city, is a special place for us Dutch,” he told reporters. “I know Van Basten very well, he was my coach at Ajax as well as in the national side. “I am calm, I’m really happy to be here, I know the football and the training in Italy are different to Spain, but I’m ready, I want both to start training and to start the new adventure itself. ”
Don’t Miss
Latest transfer news and speculation
Chelsea target Pirlo commits future to Milan
Real say spending over after Alonso deal
Kaka presented to Madrid fans
Huntelaar, who turns 26 on August 12, had seemed set to move to German club Stuttgart earlier this summer but the deal fell through. He had also been linked with English club Tottenham after failing to make a big impact following his $29 million move from Dutch side Ajax in January 2009. Huntelaar had been the Eredivisie’s top scorer in the 2007-08 season, but netted only eight goals in 19 appearances for Real after being brought in when compatriot van Nistelrooy was ruled out with a long-term injury.
