AC Milan have beaten Napoli to make signing of Gianluca Lapadula their first signing of the summer, according to the Pescara striker.
The 26-year-old, who scored 30 goals in Pescara's successful promotion from Serie B -- including in the playoff -- last season was playing in Italy's third division just two years ago, scoring 21 goals for Teramo.
He arrived in Milan for a medical on Friday morning, announcing that a dream was coming true.
"I strongly wanted to join Milan," he told La Gazzetta dello Sport. "The negotiations were lightning fast. I'd like to thank [Milan's general manager Adriano] Galliani and the president [Silvio] Berlusconi for their faith, and I wish the president a speedy recovery [from heart surgery]."
Lapadula is expected to sign a five-year contract with Milan after passing his medical and he will move for a reported €9 million.
Lapadula, whose mother is from Peru, had attracted the interest of Napoli and Genoa among other Italian clubs for his goal-scoring feats, but Milan have beaten off the competition to sign him.
With the future of the Rossoneri still in doubt, as negotiations continue with a consortium of Chinese investors keen to buy current president Silvio Berlusconi's majority share, the move may indicate a preference on the part of Berlusconi not to sell.
He has recently stated that he will invest only in homegrown talent if he keeps control of the Milanese club, and Lapadula fits the bill.