Granada, Aug 6 (IANS): Spanish football club Granada has said it has signed Argentine striker Ezequiel Ponce, on loan from AS Roma, to become the eighth signing of the Spanish team for next season.

The agreement between the two clubs and the player closed this Friday and Ponce will play this season in the Andalusian club on loan from the Italian team, reports Efe.

Ezequiel Ponce, 19, was one of the key players of the Rome youth team last season.

He arrived to the Italian team from Argentina's Newell's Old Boys last summer.

The player was just one step away from joining Sporting Gijon, but ultimately negotiations between two teams failed and an agreement was reached with Granada.

Ezequiel Ponce is the eighth incorporation of Granada for the coming season following the earlier arrivals of Tito (Rayo Vallecano), French Jeremie Boga and the Ivorian Angban (Chelsea), Jon Toral (Arsenal), Brazilian Gabriel Silva (Udinese), the Mexican Guillermo Ochoa (Malaga) and French Saunier (Troyes).