Leicester City have signed Spanish striker Ayoze Perez from Newcastle United for a fee of 30 million pounds (37.7 million US dollars), the club has confirmed.

The 25-year-old leaves Newcastle, who he joined from Tenerife five years ago, after netting 48 goals with the club based in the north-east of England.

"I'm very proud to be part of the Leicester family and I can't wait to get started," said the striker, who was reported in the UK press to be unhappy at the departure of Spanish coach Rafael Benitez from Newcastle.

Benitez confirmed last week he had been unable to reach an agreement to remain at Newcastle and was this week confirmed as the new coach of Chinese club Dalian Yifang.

Perez meanwhile said it was Leicester's ambition which had attracted him to the club, as well as the chance to work with coach Brendan Rodgers.

"They want to keep growing as much as they can and that's something I liked. I spoke with the manager and he made me very comfortable about the decision to come here."

"He's such a great manager. We all know what we can do playing under him. Obviously, he's been a big part of the deal," continued the forward, who also had words for his former club.

"It's been a great experience. Obviously, Newcastle helped me make my dream come true - to be able to play in the Premier League.

"It's been five years, a lot of experiences and growth as well. I'm happy to be able to keep playing in the Premier League for such a great club like Leicester. I'm very proud to be here," he concluded. 

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