Cardiff City Sign Sevilla Midfielder Gary Medel to 4-Year Deal

In preparation for their first stint in the English Premier League, Cardiff City have not been shy about spending money for player upgrades during the current transfer window. 

The Bluebirds made another move on Saturday, signing Chilean Sevilla midfielder Gary Medel away from the Spanish club. Medel had six goals in 31 La Liga starts last season for Sevilla and has played his entire club career for Los Rojiblancos until now. 

Cardiff City's official website had the news as Medel's four-year contract became official. Their official Twitter account also had this tweet to welcome the player to Cardiff:

Manager Malky Mackay had this to say about the transfer, per the report:

"

We're delighted to have secured the services of Gary—a tenacious and intelligent international midfielder. He's played in a number of Boca v River Plate derbies in Argentina—one of the world's biggest derby matches—and I've no doubt that his background and pedigree will complement our midfield group in the Barclays Premier League.

"

The 26-year-old is expected to compete with Chile's national team on Sunday in their friendly against Iraq before coming back to Cardiff City later in the week to prepare with his new teammates. 

By signing Medel, Mackay and the Bluebirds have broken their transfer record for a third time this summer.  

As noted by BBC Sport, City have been active and aggressive in making the necessary player moves that will help keep their stay in the EPL from being a short one.

Striker Andreas Cornelius (£7.5 million, FC Copenhagen) and defender Steven Caulker (£8 million, Tottenham) both were acquired for club-record fees, and Cardiff's agreement with Sevilla for Medel is expected to eclipse both of those numbers. 

BBC Sport's report suggested that the fee will be close to £11 million. 

Nicknamed "El Pitbull" because of his aggression as a defender, Medel should bring a tenacity to Cardiff's lineup that will help the club adjust to the highest level of English football. City fan Tony Rivers, for one, loves what Medel is bringing to the table:

In addition to playing for Chile at the 2010 World Cup, Medel has started over 30 matches in each of his last two seasons with Sevilla. Facing stars such as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in La Liga, Medel will have to use that experience to his advantage to help anchor Mackay's defense.

Cardiff City gained promotion to the Premier League in April by winning The Football League Championship; they finished first in the league table with 87 points.