Crystal Palace Football Club can confirm that defender Jose Fonte has made his loan deal from Benfica a permanent one by putting pen-to-paper on a three year deal for an undisclosed fee.

Fonte, who played 26 games last season and scored once, signed a loan deal to the end of the season from the Portuguese giants in January.

With an option to make it permanent in the summer, both club and player have now reached an agreement and Fonte will remain at Selhurst Park until 2011.

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