James Milner has put pen to paper and finalised a deal that will see him move to Eastlands and join Manchester City.
The deal has been the subject of much rumour over recent months with ex-Villa manager Martin O'Neill rejecting numerous offers for the midfielder before finally leaving the club. Indeed it is thought that the Northern Irishman left Villa Park due to differences with the use of the transfer money with owner Randy Lerner.
It was Tuesday that the Milner had a medical at Man City before paying visits to what will be his new stadium and training base during his time with the Citizens. The personal terms in the deal will mean that Milner is contracted to City for the next five seasons, a period that he hopes will include a Premier League title win as he told mcfc.co.uk:
"The last thing he said to me was 'be ready for the next game', and then he said 'be ready to win the Premier League', and that's my ultimate aim - that's what I want to do and why I'm here."
Milner will not be available for the City's Thursday night match with FC Timisoara but will make his debut the following Monday night in the highly anticipated clash with Liverpool at Eastlands.
His new manager was also excited by the signing, which he claims will be the last of the summer, saying:
"I am very happy to have James with us, everybody knows we have admired him for some time.
"He is an excellent midfielder, who can play in a number of positions. This is important for the team, and I am looking forward to seeing him play for us. We have a very strong squad, and this signing is a very important one for us."
Milner has already scored one Premier League goal this season, scoring the third goal in Villa's 3-0 opening day win over West Ham. The youngster also holds the record for winning the most England U-21 caps at 45 while also holding 12 senior caps. Aside from Villa he has represented Leeds and Newcastle in the Premier League and also spent a brief period on loan at then League 1 side Swindon Town in 2003.
The deal, rumoured to be worth £25million, also sees Steven Ireland move to Aston Villa, a move that the Irish international hopes can reignite a career that has already seen him win City's player of the year award in 2009:
"I've kind of forgotten the feeling of what it is like to come off after a game feeling tired, winning or losing. I'm not used to sitting out for so long.
"So for me, I want to get back to playing at the top of my game and I want to work hard for my team-mates."
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