Manchester City have completed the signing of striker Roque Santa Cruz from Blackburn on a four-year contract, for an undisclosed fee.
The Paraguayan forward had been tracked for a lengthy period by City boss Mark Hughes, an avid admirer of Santa Cruz having brought him to Ewood Park from Bayern Munich two years ago.
Hughes and City failed with several attempts to persuade Rovers to part ways with Santa Cruz last January, but have now succeeded in securing his signature for a sum believed to be in the region of £17 million.
Santa Cruz, who scored 23 Premier League goals in 57 appearances for Blackburn, is City’s second acquisition of the summer transfer window, following Gareth Barry’s £12m switch from Aston Villa at the start of June.
The Paraguay international has made no secret of his desire to reunite with Hughes of late, and was brought to Rovers for just £3.5m by the Welshman in the summer of 2007.
Santa Cruz told City's official website: "I'm very happy to have signed for City - it's been close to happening for a while, and now I can just focus on football and concentrate on doing my best for the club.
"I know the kind of football Mark Hughes wants to play and the kind of character he is - he's a winner, he wants to make things happen and be successful. Those are always my thoughts as well, so knowing what he wants was a big factor in coming here, because I know the club is going in the right direction."
He continued: "The owners want the club to be more successful - they want to break into the top four, and the fact that the fans are so passionate about everything to do with City was also a factor. I am very motivated to play for these fans."
Hughes added: "We're obviously delighted to get him here. It was really important that we signed him, because it's an area of the squad that we have needed to address for some time, and the qualities Roque brings will be of great benefit.
"His ability in the air and his physical presence are qualities we've been missing, but he also has technical ability and good pace for a big man. He's a very good player and one I know well from our time at Blackburn."
Reports on Monday stated Santa Cruz was at City undergoing a medical, and confirmation of his switch was made by the club later in the day.