Simao wants to make Atletico a top three side

Portugal winger Simao Sabrosa said he hoped to help turn Atletico Madrid into one of the top three sides in Spain as he completed his move on a four-year contract from Benfica yesterday.

Benfica said the deal was worth 20 million euros ($27.3 million) with the Portuguese club also holding an option to take two Atletico players in the other direction.

"I chose a move to Atletico because they presented me with a very ambitious project," Simao told a news conference.

"My objective is to win things. I will work hard to do this, the club are signing good players and we should be in the top three in the league."

The signing of Simao takes Atletico's close season spending over the 60 million euro-mark as they seek to improve on last season's seventh-place finish in the Primera Liga.

The club sold top scorer Fernando Torres to Liverpool for 36 million euros last month and have moved quickly to re-invest the money in new recruits.

Along with Simao, Atletico have signed Uruguay striker Diego Forlan from Villarreal for 21 million euros, midfielder Raul Garcia from Osasuna for 13 million, Brazilian midfielder Cleber Santana from Santos for six million and Spain midfielder Luis Garcia from Liverpool for four million.

Simao joined Benfica from Barcelona in 2001 for a fee of around 13 million euros after two unsuccessful seasons with the Catalan side.

Leading figure

The 27-year-old became Benfica's leading player and club captain, and helped them win the Portuguese league title in 2005. He has won 55 caps for Portugal and was voted Portuguese Player of the Year last season.

He has not been included in Atletico's squad to face Romania's Gloria Bistrita in the home leg of their Intertoto Cup tie today.

The Primera Liga side trail 2-1.