Official: Mitrovic to Newcastle

TRANSFERS - INTERVIEWS It's official, finally. Aleksandar Mitrovic has signed for Newcastle. The English club just announced the transfer. The Serbian striker signed a five year deal in Saint James' Park.

"I've visited the stadium already. I've played in a lot of impressive stadiums before, but this one is impressive. This club has a large history and the passionate fans are part of it. The pressure to perform will be huge, but I like that", Mitrovic said. But he also didn't forget Anderlecht: "Thanks for all. It was a pleasure wearing the purple and white colours and I've had unforgettable moments in Brussels. I'll remain an Anderlecht fan for the rest of my life."

Also Steve McClaren, coach of Newcastle reacted: "This is a great transfer. There was a lot of competition to land this talented player, but we did it. He still has margin to grow and he can help us realise are ambitions."

According to the British press, Newcastle paid 18.6 million euro for the player. It became clear yesterday that the transfer soap was now really in its final hours. Mitrovic had passed the medical tests and he was already spotted in the shirt of the Magpies. The official announced was made one hour ago. Meanwhile, also Anderlecht confirmed the transfer.

This is an end of an era in Anderlecht. A young Mitrovic joined Anderlecht in 2013 and he made his debut against Zulte Waregem. In two years time he has evolved a lot, with an excellent Champions League campaign last season, in which he scored against top clubs like Dortmund and Arsenal. The Mauves paid 5 million for the player and can sell him now for more than 18 million. His former club and his managers will surely get a part of the cake, but it remains an excellent financial situation. It's now expected that the incoming transfer of Ezekiel can be finalised. And maybe there will be progress in the case Boussoufa. Anderlecht also immediately increased their offer on Stefano Okaka of Sampdoria, offering 4 million for the striker.