Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani has described the imminent signing of Mario Balotelli as a “dream come true”.

The controversial Italy international is poised to join the Serie A club from Manchester City after arriving in Milan yesterday evening to undergo a medical.

The 22-year-old is then expected to sign a four-and-a-half-year contract after Milan agreed a fee believed to be worth £19m, rising to £22m, with the English Premier League champions.

A large group of reporters, photographers and fans gathered at Malpensa Airport were disappointed when Balotelli was escorted out of a different exit than expected after a delayed flight to Italy, but Galliani has now spoken.

Quoted on the club’s website, acmilan.com, he said: “I certainly do not have to introduce Mario Balotelli.

“It is a dream come true and something that we all wanted, with the president Silvio Berlusconi at the forefront.

“With the arrival of Mario, we have strengthened our team a lot. We have worked so hard and Mario has been in our hearts for a long time and finally we have succeeded in signing him.”

Balotelli had been linked with Milan since the transfer window opened at the start of the month with both Galliani and Berlusconi regularly speaking about the player.

It seemed City’s valuation of Balotelli might have been a problem but the clubs have agreed a price which leaves City just short of the £24 million they paid Milan’s arch-rivals Inter in August 2010.

Balotelli, who pulled out of City’s goalless draw at QPR on Tuesday, was due in Milan in the morning but arrived later than planned.

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