[Mercato] Eto'o-Ibra swap sealed

Samuel Eto'o has completed his move to Inter from Barcelona after signing a five-year contract with the Italian champions.

The Cameroon international moves to the San Siro as part of the stunning deal which sees Zlatan Ibrahimovic move in the opposite direction.

Inter see their coffers boosted to the tune of 46million euros, while they also secure the services of Alexander Hleb on a season-long loan with a view to a permanent deal next summer for 10million euros.

Eto'o was deemed surplus to requirements in Spain, despite helping Pep Guardiola's side to a trophy treble last season, scoring the opening goal in the UEFA Champions League final victory over Manchester United.

English Premier League outfit Manchester City had been linked with a move for his services, but once Barca's interest in Serie A top scorer Ibrahimovic became apparent, he was always destined for Italy.

A statement on Inter's official website read: "Everyone at FC Internazionale and all the fans warmly welcome Samuel Eto'o to the club, and are proud to have him in the team, convinced that new and important triumphs will be reached together."

Eto'o, who will be officially presented to the media on Tuesday afternoon, earlier said: "I made history at Barcelona, but that history is finished now.

"A new story begins at Inter, I'm starting from scratch, I want a new adventure and I hope everything goes well. I can't but wish Ibrahimovic good luck. I have won a lot at Barcelona and now I hope to do the same with these colours, if not, more.

"I promise the fans that I will work every day, as I have always done. This is at the base of everything.

"I believe in my work and the group, I don't have to say that what I want to do is score even more goals, I know I'm capable of scoring goals and I know that through my work I will score even more."

Ibrahimovic, who was earlier presented as a Barca player, signed a five-year contract with the European champions.

"Every player wants to come to Barca but not everybody can," Ibrahimovic said. "It's hard to express how I feel at the moment; I'm the happiest man in the world.

"There are winners in every facet of this team and I want to learn from everybody here."

Source: Sky Sports