Source: Telegraph
AC Milan confirm £14.9 million signing of Manchester City forward Robinho
Robinho will mark the second anniversary of his £32.5million British record move to Manchester City as an AC Milan player on Wednesday having cost the Eastlands club almost £2million-a-goal since his arrival from Real Madrid. [LNB]Following weeks of uncertainty surrounding his future, the Brazilian forward completed a transfer worth an initial £14.9m to the San Siro on Tuesday afternoon. That figure could rise to £18.2m subject to add-ons worth £3.3m. [LNB] Related ArticlesRobinho on the verge of Milan moveMilner can sharpen up EnglandAC Milan in Robinho talksSunderland 1 Man City 0Platt loving coaching againCity stars told to knuckle downYet having signalled the beginning of the Sheikh Mansour era at City by signing for the club shortly before midnight on Sept 1 2008, Robinho is likely to be recorded as English football's most costly failure. [LNB]With City's total outlay on the player, including Robinho's £160,000-a-week wages, totalling £45m -- not including his six-month loan at Santos earlier this year -- the £14.9m banked from his sale to Milan means that each of the 26 year-old's 53 appearances came at a cost of £567,900, with his 16 goals scored at the rate of £1.88m each. [LNB]The amortisation of Robinho as an asset on City's books since his arrival from Real had left his current value around the £16m mark and the club believe they have secured a good price for a player whose last appearance for the first-team came in an FA Cup fourth round victory at Scunthorpe in January. [LNB]More lucrative deals had been agreed with Besiktas and Fenerbahce in recent weeks, but with Robinho ruling out a move to Turkey and Barcelona passing up the opportunity to sign the player, Milan emerged as the only viable option going into deadline day. [LNB]Having made clear his desire to leave Eastlands following his return from his loan at Santos, however, Robinho is understood to have forfeited a £2m golden handshake. And within minutes of Milan confirming the player had signed a four-year contract, Robinho's player profile on City's official website had vanished. [LNB]Although a debut goal against Chelsea and a Premier League hat-trick against Stoke City marked Robinho's bright start as a City player, his career at the club failed to recover after he went AWOL from a mid-season training camp in Tenerife in Jan 2009. [LNB]Roberto Mancini's decision to sanction Robinho's loan move to Santos in January heralded the end of his career at the club, with Milan finally ending his association with City. [LNB]
