Barcelona have completed the signing of Valencia defender Jeremy Mathieu in a deal worth £15.8m.
The French central defender has been linked with a move to the Camp Nou since the end of last season after impressing for La Liga rivals Valencia at both centre-back and left-back.
New Barca boss Luis Enrique has been desperate to sign a new central defender after seeing one-club man Carles Puyol leave the club in May and call time on his illustrious playing career.
Valencia first refused to let Mathieu leave the club but a statement made by the defender last week about his desire to play for the Catalan giants saw Los Che forced to accept Barcelona’s advances.
A deal worth £15.8m has now been agreed and confirmed by Barcelona’s official website, with the defender signing for four seasons, with one extra season a possibility.
Mathieu will now provide competition with Javier Mascherano and Marc Bartra for a starting place alongside Gerard Pique.