West Ham United are delighted to announce the signing of Germany Under-20 international Savio Nsereko from Brescia Calcio on a four-and-a half-year contract.
The 19-year-old forward, who can play wide or through the middle, chose the chance to play under Gianfranco Zola ahead of long-standing interest from some of the continent's leading clubs. The fee is undisclosed, although the club confirm it is a significant investment.
Savio, who will wear the No10 shirt, has made his name with Brescia, who are well-placed to secure promotion back to Serie A this season. His last outing for the Italian club saw him score two spectacular goals in a minute in the 4-0 win against Pisa on Saturday 17 January.
A West Ham United delegation flew to Brescia in the middle of last week to secure his services. After terms were agreed with both club and player, Savio travelled to England over the weekend to meet Zola and finalise the deal. He passed his medical on Monday and, subject to international clearance, he may make his debut in Wednesday night's visit of Hull City.
West Ham United CEO Scott Duxbury said: "We are delighted to sign Savio, particularly with the fierce competition for his services across Europe. He is an exciting prospect, who Gianfranco Zola believes will prove a valuable asset for this club now and in the years to come. It is a significant investment and shows our determination to continue moving this club forward."
Full reaction to come from Gianfranco Zola and Savio.
Savio facts
* Born in Kampala, Uganda on 27 July 1989
* He is 5'9 tall
* Moved to Munich when he was two
* First spotted by 1860 Munich when he was six
* Signed for Brescia aged 16 amid interest from Inter Milan
* Speaks English, Italian and German
* After his Italian league debut in the 2005/06 campaign, he played five times in 2007/08
* This season he has scored three goals from 17 appearances.
* Dubbed player of the tournament by the UEFA technical observer at the 2008 UEFA European U19 Championship won by Germany
* Played against 17-year-old Academy striker Balint Bajner, representing Hungary, in the group stage of that U19 tournament in the Czech Republic. Germany won 2-1.