Ibrahimovic to Barcelona A Done Deal

• AP, Tuesday, July 28, 2009 4:02 PM

"Time to learn Spanish," Zlatan Ibrahimovic has posted on his Twitter page. The Sweden striker signed a five-year contract with Barcelona after passing a medical test on Monday that will send him from Inter Milan to Barcelona. The $65.6 million move contracts the 27-year-old until 2014 with a buy-out clause set at $357 million. As part of the deal, Cameroon striker Samuel Eto'o will join Inter as part of the deal, while Inter Milan will receive Belarus midfielder Aleksandr Hleb on loan for one season.

"I haven't come to replace Eto'o because I'm a very different player," Ibrahimovic said. "I'm going to work to the maximum to demonstrate you haven't made a mistake in signing me. Thanks to Inter Milan for allowing me to sign for Barcelona. This is a very big day for me."

Barcelona said Ibrahimovic has a broken finger on his left hand and will require surgery. The injury happened during Inter's last friendly, against Chelsea in Los Angeles last week. "It will require setting surgically, which will be done tomorrow at noon," technical secretary Txiki Beguiristain said. Ibrahimovic became Barcelona's third signing this summer as part of Coach Pep Guardiola's bid to strengthen a team that last season won an unprecedented treble of Spanish La Liga, Champions League and Copa del Rey titles. It has also signed two Brazilians: Maxwell from Inter, and Keirrison signed from Palmeiras.

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