Official: Allan signs with Napoli, completes marathon transfer

Finally, it's done. Napoli have completed their signing of Allan, bringing an end to a marathon transfer that at times seemed like it would never come to completion. It's been five weeks since rumors first emerged of Napoli's interest, and three weeks since those rumors turned serious. Now, finally, the Brazilian midfielder has put pen to paper and become a Napoli player.

Allan arrived in Dimaro Tuesday morning to take his medical, which he reportedly passed with flying colors, and then was free to sign his contract. Aurelio De Laurentiis was present -- and looking surprisingly casual compared to his norm -- and the whole thing was finalized with hardly a sign of the sweat and effort that had gone into the deal. As is his wont, De Laurentiis himself was the man who first announced the good news:

Benvenuto Allan #ADL pic.twitter.com/mKFkGXrFh4

— AurelioDeLaurentiis (@ADeLaurentiis) July 21, 2015

When the boss man says it's true, then, well, it's true.

Allan joins the Napoli squad from Udinese for a reported fee of €10 million plus bonuses, as well as a permanent swap of Miguel Britos -- who will go to England to join Watford FC on loan -- and a two-year loan of Duvan Zapata, which Napoli can break after one season if they choose.

While that seems simple to consider on the surface, especially for fans coming at this from long experience with American sports where player trades are common, it's actually anything but. Player swap transfers are hard, and adding in a third player and a third team only jacks up the complexity and difficulty to near-impossible levels. With patience and effort, though, Napoli got the job done, and now they've given themselves a nice kick in midfield quality.

Welcome to Napoli, Allan. May your tackles be explosive and your passes silky. Good luck.