After premature announcement, Deulofeu finally completes Milan move

Three days after retracting its official confirmation of Gerard Deulofeu's arrival, AC Milan has indeed signed the 22-year-old winger from Everton until the end of the season.

A mess of a transfer is now complete, according to statements from each club on Monday.

Sky Sport Italia indicates Milan paid a fee around €700,000 to take the Spaniard on a temporary basis. The deal does not include a buyout option.

Milan initially claimed on Twitter last Friday it had secured Deulofeu on loan without an option to buy, only for the Rossoneri to delete the tweet that contained the announcement.

The BBC, Sky Sports, and Liverpool Echo reported hours later that Everton officials were furious with their Italian counterparts for revealing the signing before rubber-stamping the deal and conducting a medical.

Deulofeu landed Sunday evening at Milan's Malpensa airport and passed the necessary checks Monday.

A graduate of Barcelona's La Masia youth system, Deulofeu's stock has fallen over the past few years. He made just 13 appearances for Everton this season, as manager Ronald Koeman favoured the likes of Kevin Mirallas and Aaron Lennon ahead of the one-time Spain international.

He has played predominantly on the right wing since joining the Merseyside outfit on an initial loan deal from Barcelona in 2013, although he excelled on the left with Barcelona B.

Deulofeu's expected to get some much-needed playing time at the San Siro. Considering M'Baye Niang's anxious displays on the left, he should have an opportunity to carve out a spot. His inclusion in the squad would also help restore Giacomo Bonaventura to his more natural position as a left-sided midfielder in a role akin to Andres Iniesta's at Camp Nou.

Manager Vincenzo Montella has a liking for inverted wingers, having used the left-footed Suso on the right flank to great success. Because Deulofeu is right-footed, he could offer Montella a similar attacking plan on the opposite side.

Milan is currently seven points behind third-place Napoli in the race for the final Champions League spot.