Arsenal have completed the signing of Barcelona midfielder Denis Suarez on loan until the end of the season.
After Barcelona mistakenly announced the deal on Wednesday night, both clubs confirmed the move the following morning. The Premier League side will pay €2.3 million for the loan and the deal includes an option for the move to be made permanent in the summer for around €20m, sources told ESPN FC.
"We are very happy that Denis Suarez is joining us. He is a player we know well and I have worked with him at Sevilla," Arsenal coach Unai Emery said.
"He brings us quality and options in different attacking positions, so he'll be able to help the team."
Denis, 25, also had offers from Real Betis and Sevilla but his first choice once he decided to leave Barca this month in search of regular football was always Arsenal.
Talks between the two clubs broke down last week because Barca were not prepared to sanction a deal which did not include a clause which made it obligatory for Arsenal to sign Denis permanently at the end of the season.
Finally, the notification you've all been waiting for 😉
— Arsenal FC (@Arsenal) January 31, 2019
Welcome to Arsenal, @DenisSuarez6 👋#HolaDenis 🔴
However, the La Liga leaders softened their stance after Denis agreed to extend his contract, which was due to expire in 2020, by an additional year.
Denis, therefore, will still have two years left on his deal if he does return to Camp Nou in the summer and the Catalans will not be left in a compromising position when negotiating with potential buyers.
Since returning to the club in 2016, Denis has made 71 appearances in a range of positions for Barcelona.
He has played as a central midfielder, an attacking midfielder and a wide forward under both Luis Enrique and Ernesto Valverde, making him a viable option to replace Henrikh Mkhitaryan or Mesut Ozil.
Denis has experience of English football as he spent two seasons with Manchester City as a teenager.
Barcelona then signed him for their B team in 2013, with a loan spell at Sevilla, where he played under Emery.
A permanent move to Villarreal followed in 2015, but he returned to Barca in 2016 when the Catalans exercised their option to re-sign him for €3.5m.