THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
MANCHESTER, England — Manchester City has signed Brazil striker Jo from CSKA Moscow for what the Premier League team described as a "club record transfer fee."
The 21-year-old forward signed a four-year contract with City after scoring 44 goals in 77 games for CSKA.
City did not give the fee while announcing the transfer on Wednesday, but it beats the 13 million pounds (C$20.87 million) City paid Fenerbahce for France striker Nicolas Anelka in June 2002.
British papers have speculated that City, which is owned by former Thailand prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, has agreed to pay 19 million pounds (C$30.51 million).
"He’s young in years but in football terms he’s got a lot of experience," City manager Mark Hughes said. "The size of the transfer fee won’t faze him in any shape or form."
Having joined CSKA in 2005 from Corinthians, Jo helped the club win two Russian Super Cups, the Russian league title and the Russian Cup.
Hughes acknowledged that the negotiations to sign Jo had started before he took over the club last month, but that he was still happy to have him in his squad.
"He’s an outstanding young player," Hughes said. "He’s very much the type of player we hope to attract. Technically he’s excellent and we feel he has the physical presence to cope with the trials of a Premier League season."
Jo will be the third Brazilian player at City, following midfielders Elano and Geovanni. City has also been linked with a move for Brazil stalwart Ronaldinho, who seems set to leave FC Barcelona, but has not been able to reach to an agreement.