Spanish Champions Barcelona signed Dutch striker Patrick Kluivert for £8.75 million from Italian side AC Milan only an hour before the transfer deadline expired last night.

The 22-year-old, who scored twice in the World Cup after serving a two-match suspension for being sent off against Belgium in the opening group match, has signed a four-year contract with Barcelona, making him the sixth Dutch player to join his former Ajax coach Louis van Gaal at the club.

Kluivert, who sprang to prominence when he scored Ajax's winner in the 1995 European Cup final win over Juventus, had earlier rejected a move to Manchester United, while Arsenal's bid of £7 million was dismissed by Ac Milan.

Italy's World Cup striker Christian Vierl will become an Italian League record signing if he completes a £18 million deal that would take the 25-year-old from Spain's Atletico Madrid to Lazio. The previous Italian record of £17 million took the Brazilian Ronaldo from Barcelona to Internazionale. The world record deal is the £21.4 million paid for another Brazilian Denilson, by the Spanish club Real Betis.