Eto'o completes Inter Milan switch

(GETTY IMAGES)

Samuel Eto'o signed a five-year deal with Inter Milan last night before pledging to better his prolific goalscoring record at Barcelona.

The Cameroon international finally put pen to paper with the Series A champions following the protracted 'swap' deal that saw Zlatan Ibrahimovic confirmed as a Barca player just hours before Eto'o's move was completed.

The 28-year-old will be officially unveiled to the media at a press conference this afternoon; however, Barca have already revealed the details of the 66million euros deal after their own unveiling of Ibrahimovic, who also signed a five-year contract, last night.

The Catalans have paid 46million euros for the Swede, with the extra 20million made up in the Spanish champions' valuation of Eto'o.

That went most of the way to making up the 70million euros valuation Inter had placed on Ibrahimovic, with the Italians also getting winger Alexander Hleb on a year-long loan.

The Belarus international has shown some reluctance to agree to the deal, but it may end in a permanent move - with Inter having an option to buy the player for 10million euros after his loan deal expires next summer.

Eto'o, however, seems focused on making his mark at the San Siro and has claimed he will score more than the 108 goals in 145 games he netted in five seasons with Barca.

"I promise the fans that I will work every day, as I have always done," Eto'o told the club's official website, www.inter.it.

"This is at the base of everything. I believe in my work and the group. I don't have to say that what I want to do is score even more goals; I know I'm capable of scoring goals and I know that through my work I will score even more.

"I made history at Barcelona, but that history is finished now.

"A new story begins at Inter, I'm starting from scratch, I want a new adventure and I hope everything goes well.

"I can't but wish Ibrahimovic good luck. I have won a lot at Barcelona and now I hope to do the same with these colours, if not more."

Ibrahimovic revealed in his press conference last night that Inter president Massimo Moratti had given him permission to leave several months ago should an offer from Barca arrive.

Many Inter fans expressed their unease at the club selling Ibrahimovic, last year's leading goalscorer in Serie A, with Moratti saying yesterday the club had simply given in to the player's wishes.

Ibrahimovic backed that statement, saying: "Moratti helped me in every way, he did everything for me and my family.

"I said to Moratti a few months ago: 'Nobody can get me, only one club can get me and that's Barcelona', and he told me: 'if you want it like that, you will get it like that'.

"So all my respect, because it is not easy to sell a player that means so much to the team."