Man City pay record transfer fee for Robinho

Manchester City sign Brazilian forward Robinho from Real Madrid after earlier agreeing to a takeover by an Abu Dhabi investment group. The 24-year-old had been linked with a move to Chelsea this summer but City concluded a deal for the player shortly before the midnight transfer deadline, with the fee believed to be a British record of about £32.5m. The club manager, Mark Hughes, said: "I am absolutely delighted to get the opportunity to work with such an incredible talent like Robinho. "I have said that in order to compete with the best teams in the Premier League we have to be in the market for players of this calibre, and Robinho is undoubtedly one of the best players in the world." The privately owned Abu Dhabi United Group for Development and Investment (ADUG), a holding company with extensive investments in the emirate, said it had successfully concluded a deal to buy Manchester City on Sunday night. Robinho's move to Eastlands will have stunned Chelsea, who remained confident of signing the Brazilian yesterday. The Chelsea boss, Luiz Felipe Scolari, viewed his compatriot as key to fulfilling his brief of producing attacking football at Stamford Bridge but Real appeared unwilling to do business with Chelsea. The Brazilian, who has signed a four-year deal, scored 25 goals in 101 games at the Bernabeu, during which time he won two Primera Liga winner's medals. He moved to Spain three years ago after rising to prominence with Santos in his homeland. He has also scored 11 times for his country. Hughes added: "I am really looking forward to introducing him to the rest of the squad, and to the City fans at the earliest opportunity. This is a real statement of intent as to the ambitions of Manchester City Football Club." * PA