Villarreal to sign Chile international Fernandez

MADRID, Oct 18 (Reuters) Villarreal have reached an agreement with Colo Colo to sign Chilean international midfielder Matias Fernandez, the Primera Liga side said today.

The 20-year-old, who was born in Argentina but moved to Chile when he was five, is set to join on a five-and-a-half-year deal during the January transfer window.

He will continue playing for Colo Colo until the end of this year.

''It was a very quick signing because we are convinced that he is a great player and we thought it was the right time to close the deal,'' Villarreal president Fernando Roig told the club's Web site.

Villarreal did not reveal how much they would pay for the player but Chilean media reported the fee as being between 9.0 and 11.0 million dollars.

Villarreal lost midfielder Robert Pires at the start of the season to a serious knee injury and the Frenchman is not likely to return to action for at least another four months.

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