Borussia Dortmund have completed the signing of Paco Alcacer on a one-year loan from Barcelona and have an option to make the transfer permanent.
Dortmund paid €2 million for the loan and could keep the 24-year-old for an additional €23m next summer. A permanent deal will also include €5 in performances bonuses, with Barcelona also retaining 5 percent of any future sale.
The Spain international leaves Barcelona two years after joining from Valencia. Having appeared in only 37 La Liga matches since then, he is now hoping to revive his career in Germany.
"I'm looking forward to playing in the Bundesliga, one of the best leagues in the world, and for BVB in front of those incredible fans and the famous Yellow Wall, which is something magical for probably every footballer," Alcacer said.
Alcacer becomes Dortmund's eighth signing of the transfer window. Following a difficult last few seasons, the club hierarchy had called for a fresh beginning to change the mentality of the squad and the club itself.
😃 Heute in Dortmund... pic.twitter.com/tUgf1QoUfw
— Borussia Dortmund (@BVB) August 28, 2018
This summer, BVB brought in Axel Witsel from Tianjin Quanjian as well as Denmark international Thomas Delaney and Moroccan full-back Achraf Hakimi, who joined on loan from Real Madrid.
Defender Abdou Diallo, midfielder Marius Wolf and goalkeepers Marwin Hitz and Eric Oelschlaegel also made the move to the Westfalenstadion.
Following Alcacer's arrival at Dortmund, the club now boasts a 30-man squad, and players including Japan international Shinji Kagawa, defender Omer Toprak and youngsters Alexander Isak and Dzenis Burnic could leave the club before the transfer window closes on Friday.
"We are happy that Paco decided to join us and we are convinced that his playing style will fit ours," Sporting sirector Michael Zorc told the club's website.
"Paco already proved his qualities in very young years at Valencia, scoring many goals and was highly esteemed there, being awarded the captaincy as a 22-year-old.
"In Barcelona, he trained with some of the best players in the world every day. It's down to the extreme competition at [Barcelona] that he now opted to seek a new challenge with us after two years."