Robin van Persie in £24m move to Man Utd from Arsenal

The Dutch striker, 29, has signed a four-year deal and could make his debut at Everton on Monday.

He said: "It's an honour to sign for Manchester United.

"I am looking forward to following in the footsteps of so many great strikers, bringing my experience and playing my part to help the team compete for the biggest trophies in the game. I can't wait to get started."

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson said: "The boy wanted to come. He turned down various clubs. If he hadn't told Arsenal he wanted to go to Manchester United, the transfer wouldn't have happened.

"Robin is a world-class striker with a proven record in England and in European football.

"His talents need no introduction to our fans. He has scored a number of goals against us in some classic battles with his former club. His movement, finishing and all-round ability are outstanding.

"We never thought we could get Van Persie. If you go back six months ago, I couldn't see us getting him.

"I thought Arsenal are not going to let him go. When I read he had refused a new contract, that is when we acted. It has been a long haul."

Van Persie announced in July he would not extend his existing Arsenal deal, which was due to expire in June 2013.

It is understood Arsenal were willing to make Van Persie their highest paid player ever, but never actually offered him a new contract.

Juventus and Manchester City also bid for the striker, but it is understood that of the three, United were the only side Van Persie would have considered joining.

United will pay £22.5m, with a further £1.5m one-off bonus to follow if they win a Premier League or Champions League title in the next four years.

The Netherlands international scored 44 goals in 57 games for club and country last season.

Van Persie was named Professional Footballers' Association and Football Writers' player of the year, but scored only once as the Netherlands were eliminated at the group stage of Euro 2012.

Alex Song Move

Arsenal midfielder Alex Song is closing in on a move to Spanish giants Barcelona and the deal could be completed this weekend.

The 24-year-old will not feature in Saturday's opening Premier League match against Sunderland.

However manager Arsene Wenger has lined up Real Madrid midfielder Nuri Sahin on a season-long loan as a replacement.

When asked about the possibility of more signings, and the departure of Song, Wenger said: "Both can happen."

-  BBC.co.uk