Newcastle United have completed the signing of Peruvian midfielder Rodrigo Vilca from Deportivo Municipal.
Vilca joins The Magpies for a fee in the region of £250,000 and has signed a four-year contract on Tyneside.
The 21-year-old will initially team up with Newcastle's under-23 squad, with the view to being a first-team player in the near future.
Vilca has been playing top flight football in Peru this season, scoring two goals in ten appearances in the Peruvian Primera División.
Vilca: 'I hope to have a long and successful time in Newcastle'
"At the beginning, I could not believe the opportunity to jump directly from Peru to a Premier League club.
The process had a lot of phases, with all this Covid disaster, so it has been a rollercoaster of emotions.
"I have cried with emotion, not once but several times, because there have been different milestones.
At times I have been tense, but now I am very happy and I hope to have a long and successful time in Newcastle.
"It seems a very nice city, the hotel has a very nice view (of the Tyne and Millennium bridges) and I hope to train as soon as possible now.
"I don't want to lose time - I want to be ready!".
'We're delighted to have Rodrigo here'
Lead under-23 player development coach Chris Hogg said: "We're delighted to have Rodrigo here.
He's an exciting attacking player, and we'll be hoping to see that attacking ability.
"We'll be looking to give him the opportunity to improve with us and be a part of Newcastle United's future."