Norwich Sign Ricky Van Wolfswinkel For £8.5 Million

Norwich City have agreed a deal to sign Sporting Lisbon striker Ricky van Wolfswinkel for an undisclosed fee, believed by BBC Sport to be in the region of £8.5 million. The 24-year-old Netherlands international will join the Canaries on July 1st on a four-year deal, subject to pending paperwork being completed. The signing of one of European football's hottest young strikers looks to be a significant coup for the Premier League club, beating the likes of Newcastle United who had been linked with the striker in January. Van Wolfswinkel has scored 13 goals for Sporting Lisbon this season, more than the number of Norwich's top two goalscorers Grant Holt (5) and Robert Snodgrass (5) combined. He will bring much needed strike power to the Canaries next season and the big money signing could signify the club's confidence that they won't get dragged into the relegation places in the final quarter of the current season.

Norwich boss Chris Hughton said of the signing;

"Ricky's profile is a perfect fit for us - he's young, ambitious and a proven goalscorer," "He has an excellent goalscoring pedigree and he's a young man very keen to continue his personal progression and to play in England. "He's already an exciting talent but he still has more development as a player ahead of him.

Van Wolfswinkel was in just the second year of his five-year deal with Lisbon, who he joined in 2011 from Utrecht. He scored an incredible 23 goals in his debut season.