Italian striker Diamanti joins Chinese club Guangzhou Evergrande

Chinese champions Guangzhou Evergrande announced on Friday the signing of Italian international forward Alessandro Diamanti from Bologna on a three-year contract worth 6.9 million euros.

"Diamanti will fly to Spain to join the team on Monday once he passes the medical," Evergrande said on its official website.

Evergrande, who became the first Chinese side in 23 year to win Asia's top club competition last season, are now training in Spain for the new season.

World Cup-winning coach Marcello Lippi expected Diamanti to fill in the void left by Argentinean midfielder Dario Conca, the hub of Evergrande attack who returned to Fluminense at the end of last season.

Diamanti, 30, is good at free kicks and can play both the left side and in the middle. He scored 5 goals in 19 matches for Bologna in Serie A this season and has been a member of coach Cesare Prandelli's Azzuri.

"Diamanti is coach Lippi's first choice on this winter's transfer market, so we have made every efforts to bring him to Guangzhou," an Evergrande club official told Xinhua.

Evergrande have vowed to defend their Chinese Super League and AFC Champions League titles.

"As Diamanti arrives, we are more confident to achieve the goal," he added.