Bony's the boy for Swans
11th July
Swansea City have completed the £12m club record signing of Wilfried Bony from Dutch side Vitesse Arnhem today, subject to work permit clearance.
The striker completed a medical at Swansea's pre-season training camp in Holland earlier in the week and put pen to paper on a four-year deal that was finalised today.
The £12m move, with potential add-ons to follow, smashed the previous £5.55m record transfer fee paid to Valencia for Spanish winger Pablo Hernandez last summer.
It also completes Michael Laudrup's summer search for a top class hit-man after a productive 10 days in the transfer market for the club.
"This move has been talked about for quite some time, so I am delighted it is all completed,'' declared Bony.
"Now it is important that I focus my mind on the challenge ahead because I hope to make the Swansea fans very happy.''
Bony was a scoring sensation in the Eredivisie last season, with the striker's 31 goals in 30 games not only earning him the top scorer award but also clinching him the Dutch Player of the Year title.
It also enabled Vitesse to finish fourth in the Eredivisie - meaning they will play in the Europa League's third qualifying round along with the Swans.
"The Europa League is my first focus,'' added Bony, who finished the tournament's top scorer while at Sparta Prague with nine goals. "I enjoy playing in Europe; I am used to it.''
Bony started his career in his homeland with Issia Wazi, later moving to the Czech Republic to sign for Sparta Prague, who he helped win their national league title in 2010.
His form attracted the attention of Vitesse, who paid just over £3million for his services midway through the 2010-11 season.
In his first full season at Vitesse, Bony was top scorer with 12 goals from 28 league games.
But it was in the 2012-13 campaign which he was truly prolific, finding the net 36 times from 36 games in all competitions.
On the international stage, Bony has eight goals in 20 caps, and was on target during the African Cup of Nations earlier this year as Ivory Coast reached the quarter-finals in South Africa.
"I am looking forward to joining the training camp out here in Holland as a Swansea player and building up good communications with the team and coaching staff as quickly as possible.''
Bony completes his medical with club doctor Jez McCluskey and head physio Kate Rees
More reaction to follow . . . .
