Sunderland have broken their transfer record to sign Ghanaian World Cup star Asamoah Gyan from French Ligue 1 side Stade Rennes.
Gyan, 24, arrives on Wearside for a fee in excess of £13m - more than Sunderland chief Steve Bruce paid to acquire Darren Bent from Tottenham last summer.
The player has signed a four-year contract the long-awaited deal eventually went through at 5.40pm. Upon the move becoming official, the club have been able to confirm the deal.
The striker was one of Ghana's leading lights during the World Cup, scoring three goals as the Black Stars came within a penalty shoot-out of reaching the semi-finals.
Gyan averages a goal every other game for Ghana, having netted 22 times in 44 international appearances.
Accra-born, Gyan is an international team-mate of Sunderland defender John Mensah, who is loan from French club Lyon.
Having begun his career with Liberty Professionals in Ghana, Gyan joined Udinese in 2003, scoring 11 goals in 39 appearances as well as netting on a further 15 occasions during a loan spell at Modena.
He also played and scored in the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany, bagging the fastest goal of the tournament when he scored after 68 seconds against the Czech Republic - Ghana's first ever goal at a World Cup Finals.
Gyan was on the move again in July 2008 as Rennes paid Udinese 8m euros to take the player to France. He went on to make 47 appearances, scoring 14 times.
And he impressed during Ghana's run in South Africa, scoring three of his team's four goals.
Gyan could be in line to make his Sunderland debut in the Barclays Premier League at Wigan on September 11 - the Black Cats' next game after the international break.
http://www.safc.com/news/20100831/bruce-smashes-transfer-record_2256213_2140692
