LONDON (Reuters) - Swansea City signed striker Wilfried Bony from Dutch side Vitesse Arnhem on Thursday in a club-record 12 million pounds (S$23 million) transfer.

Swansea confirmed on their website that the Ivory Coast international had signed a four-year deal that smashed the club record £5.5 million they paid Valencia for Pablo Hernandez last year.

The 24-year-old was top scorer in the Dutch League last season with 31 goals and his arrival is a big statement of intent for the Welsh club, who will play in the Europa League this season after winning the League Cup, their first major honour.

Swansea, who finished ninth in the Premier League under the management of Michael Laudrup last season, have kept a tight rein on finances in the past and had not spent more than a million pounds on a player until three years ago.