Man City sign Jovetic and Negredo

Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini has bulked up his strikeforce ahead of an assault on the Premier League title by signing Stevan Jovetic and Alvaro Negredo.

Jovetic arrives in Manchester on undisclosed terms but it is understood the Serie A side valued the 23-year-old Montenegro international at around €23 million.

Last night’s announcement followed yesterday morning’s capture of Spain international Negredo. The former Sevilla star, 27, has joined Pellegrini’s cause for a reported £16.4m plus add-ons of up to £4.2m. Yesterday’s business sees Pellegrini make two concerted moves to bolster his frontline before the domestic season begins in August as 2012 league champions City aim to dethrone fierce rivals Manchester United.

A statement published on mcfc.co.uk read: “Manchester City are delighted to announce the signing of Stevan Jovetic from Fiorentina. The 23-year-old Montenegro international will join up with his new team-mates over the weekend.”

Negredo will wear the vacant number nine shirt with Jovetic taking number 35.

Although Jovetic missed the entire 2010-11 Serie A season due to a cruciate ligament injury, he became a key part of Fiorentina’s system nevertheless. He hit 14 goals in the 2011-2012 campaign and added 13 more as Vincenzo Montella’s men finished fourth in May.

Jovetic has also represented the senior Montenegro side since 2007, playing 27 times and scoring 10 goals.

He is reunited with former Fiorentina team-mate Matija Nastasic at the Etihad Stadium and joins Negredo, midfielder Fernandinho and winger Jesus Navas as one of Pellegrini’s four summer recruits.

Negredo was fourth top scorer in Spain last season with 25 league goals, behind Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Radamel Falcao.

In other City news, Bert Trautmann, the German prisoner of war who went on to earn fame for playing for the club in the FA Cup final despite a broken neck, has died at the age of 89. Trautmann, who was bestowed with an honorary OBE for his work in promoting Anglo-German post-war relations, played more than 500 times for City between 1949 and 1964. His feat in the 1956 FA Cup final became one of the legends of the tournament when he played the final 17 minutes with a broken neck to ensure victory over Birmingham.