London – Manchester United have agreed terms with Borussia Dortmund for the transfer of midfielder Shinji Kagawa, the English Premier League club said on Tuesday, with the Japan international needing to pass a medical and obtain a work permit to complete the deal.
United said in a statement they expected the transfer to be completed by the end of June and have already agreed terms with the attacking midfielder, who has been a revelation in Germany over the past two seasons and has a contract with Dortmund until 2013.
No details of the fee were released but German media reported that Kagawa would cost United 17 million Euros ($21.24 million).
"We would like to thank Shinji for his effort and his large contribution in two extraordinarily successful years," said Borussia sports director Michael Zorc, who was responsible for bringing the player to Dortmund in 2010.
The 23-year-old joined Dortmund for 350,000 euros from Japan's second division club Cerezo Osaka and notched 21 goals in 49 league games.
Kagawa won two consecutive Bundesliga titles as well as the German Cup this season, helping Borussia establish themselves as the new force in German football.
He scored 13 league goals last season and set up another nine for his team mates as he replaced injured Mario Goetze after the winter break in a playmaking role where he proved to be equally effective.
Speculation about a possible move to Manchester had been rife in the past months with United manager Alex Ferguson meeting the player in Berlin immediately after their German Cup victory over Bayern Munich in May.
Kagawa is currently with the Japan squad preparing for Friday's World Cup qualifier at home to Jordan. – Reuters