PAOK Thessaloniki has shocked the football world by signing former Manchester United striker Dimitar Berbatov.
The Bulgarian striker looked certain to join English Premier League club Aston Villa but the deal fell through in the final stages when the two sides failed to agree to terms.
PAOK was quick to pounce and signed Berbatov on a free transfer, following his release from French club AS Monaco.
Berbatov, 34, was at Aston Villa’s Bodymoor Heath training ground , but the striker failed to agree a deal with Tim Sherwood’s side.
Berbatov’s wage demands are believed to have been deemed excessive by Aston Villa’s officials, but PAOK owner Ivan Savvidis has had his heart set on Berbatov for some time and immediately sanctioned the signing which will make Berbatov one of the highest paid players in the Greek Super League.
Berbatov scored 13 goals for Monaco in Ligue 1 and Champions League action last year.
Olympiakos also added to their squad last week, bringing in two new signings on the final day of the transfer window.
The Piraeus team signed Nigerian striker Brown Ideye from Premier League club West Bromich Albion for an undisclosed fee.
The defending Greek Super League champions also brought in 24-year old Portuguese striker Hernani on loan from FC Porto, with the Greek club keeping an option to buy the player outright at the completion of this season.
Both signings are eligible to be part of Olympiakos’ Champions League roster. The Greek team will face German giants Bayern Munich, English club Arsenal and Croatian side Dinamo Zagreb in the competition.
Meanwhile, supporters of AEK Athens have criticised their club’s failure to sign a striker, with many taking to online forums to complain about the team’s lack of firepower up front.
AEK, which has just two strikers in its squad, including the injured Raffik Djebbour, had been in the market for a forward but could not agree to terms with any of the players it had shortlisted.
Panathinaikos also decided not to add to its squad, sticking to the existing list of players for the year ahead.