Wednesday 21 August 2019 17:31, UK
Fiorentina have confirmed the signing of former Bayern Munich winger Franck Ribery on a free transfer.
The 36-year-old left Bayern Munich in June after 12 years at the club and has signed a two-year deal with the Serie A side worth almost £4.1m (€4.5m) per season, according to Sky in Italy.
The former France international, who won 23 trophies during his time at the Allianz Arena, was greeted by jubilant supporters at the Firenze-Peretola airport on Wednesday morning.
"I'm happy, I'm here with my family," he told Sky in Italy. "I've been talking with Fiorentina for the past week, I've also spoken to Luca Toni and he told me it is a great club and an amazing city. I like Florence, plus I already know Italian - it's not perfect but it's good."
Toni, who moved from Fiorentina to Bayern in 2007 and went on to score 37 goals in 60 appearances at the Bundesliga club, backed Ribery to shine at the Artemio Franchi.
"He's a crazy guy but he built his career on work ethic, because he puts in a lot of effort throughout the week," Toni told Sky in Italy.
"He's 36-years-old and he can be a mentor for younger players, especially for [Federico] Chiesa who would understand what it means to become a champion."
In June, Fiorentina was sold to Italian-American businessman Rocco Commisso for £145m, marking the end of the Della Valle family's 17-year association with the club.
Ribery becomes Commisso's eighth summer signing after Kevin-Prince Boateng and Pol Lirola from Sassuolo, Erick Pulgar from Bologna and Milan Badelj from Lazio.
The winger will be officially unveiled as a new Fiorentina player with a press conference at the Artemio Franchi on Thursday night.
