Adebayor secures Olimpia move

ASUNCION - Veteran Togo international striker Emmanuel Adebayor has joined Olimpia on a free transfer, the Paraguayan first division club said on Tuesday.

The announcement came four days after Olimpia's president, Marco Trovato, promised to sign the 35-year-old if the club attracted an additional 20,000 members over the weekend.

He will be officially presented to the club's fans and Paraguay's media on Friday, the club said in a statement.

"Hi Olimpia fans. Thanks for everything. We'll see each other on Friday in Asuncion. Thank you," Adebayor said in a brief video posted on the club's Twitter account.

Olimpia officials did not provide details of the deal, nor did they say if the target for new members had been met.

The move will see Adebayor reunite with his former Manchester City teammate Roque Santa Cruz, who joined the club in 2016.

Olimpia, who are three-time champions of the Copa Libertadores - South America's top club competition - have won the past three Paraguayan first division titles.

Their 2020 Libertadores campaign begins with a visit to Ecuador's Delfin in the first round of the group stage on March 4.

Adebayor, who has been capped 87 times for Togo, began his professional career at French club Metz in 2001.

His most prolific period came at Arsenal, where he scored 46 goals in 104 Premier League matches from 2006 to 2009. The forward also had spells at Manchester City, Real Madrid and Tottenham Hotspur.