Birmingham City have broken their club record transfer fee to secure the signing of Ecuador striker Christian Benitez.
Blues have refused to reveal the fee they have paid to Mexican club Santos Laguna but have confirmed that it tops any single sum parted with in the past.
Benitez, previously linked with Steve Bruce’s Latin American gang at Wigan, has signed a three-year contract at St Andrews.
The 23-year-old comes with a lofty reputation having scored 10 goals for his country which has been exponentially enhanced by his agent, Barry McIntosh.
“Benitez is as good as Messi and Tevez,” he said at the end of May. “He is better than Antonio Valencia and the equivalent of Messi.”
He has recently undergone shoulder surgery and, as such, is unlikely to be involved in Ecuador’s forthcoming World Cup qualifiers against Peru and Argentina.
Benitez becomes Alex McLeish’s first signing since promotion back to The Premier League was secured.