"?Aston Villa have officially completed the £12m signing of Fulham forward Ross McCormack, the biggest arrival of the summer as new owner Dr Tony Xia looks to invest heavily in the club and make the stay in the Championship as brief as possible.
The 29-year-old Scottish international has signed a long-term contract that will keep him at Villa Park until 2020 and is likely to go straight into the squad for the opening game of the season against Sheffield Wednesday this weekend.
Breaking news: We are delighted to confirm the signing of Ross McCormack in a £12m deal. #AVFC #WelcomeRoss pic.twitter.com/xE8YHxBMFq
"I'm delighted to bring Ross on board. He's a player with proven track record and plenty of experience in the division," manager Roberto Di Matteo told AVFC.co.uk.
"He is a player whose goalscoring record has been excellent everywhere he has been and we feel he can be an important addition."
Having previously impressed for Cardiff, it was McCormack's 28 goal haul during the 2013/14 Championship season that earned him an £11m move to newly relegated Fulham that summer.
He continued his good form at Craven Cottage and has scored 66 Championship goals for Fulham and Leeds in the last three league seasons alone.
The £12m fee matches the second highest amount that Villa have ever paid for a player, equalling the fee that saw Stewart Downing arrive from Middlesbrough in 2009. Darren Bent is the only player that Villa have ever spent more on.
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