Barcelona striker joins Dortmund permanently

Borussia Dortmund have completed the signing of Paco Alcacer on a permanent deal from Barcelona.

The Spanish striker joined Dortmund on a season-long loan deal in August, and the German club have now exercised their option to buy him, per the club’s official Twitter account:

“Borussia Dortmund

@BlackYellow

Paco is here for good! ️✍️ #Alcacer2023 https://t.co/IiGvei1fYn

He has penned a contract with the club until 2023 and expressed his delight with making his move permanent, per Dortmund’s website (h/t Bundesliga.com): “I’m very happy in Dortmund, at BVB and in this wonderful team. Borussia Dortmund was and is exactly the right decision for me. I’ll do everything I can to say thank you for your trust.”

When Alcacer initially made his loan move to the Bundesliga, Dortmund said their option to buy was worth €25 million (€22 million), per BBC Sport.

Alcacer’s career had stalled at Barca. He moved to the Camp Nou in 2016 from Valencia for €30 million (£25.5 million), but in the two full seasons he spent at the club, he started only 14 La Liga games.

Since moving to Dortmund, he has proved himself to be a superb frontman.

The 25-year-old has netted eight goals in just 236 minutes of action as BVB have set the pace in the 2018-19 Bundesliga:

Best mins per goal return in Europe’s top 5 leagues this season (5+ goals scored): 🥇 P. Alcacer — Borussia Dortmund (every 29.4 mins) 🥈 R. Nelson — Hoffenheim (every 54.2 mins) 🥉L. Jovic — Eintracht Frankfurt (every 63.8 mins) https://t.co/BwvcOJPEus https://t.co/d49TsapPgw

It is little surprise that Dortmund have activated their option to keep him permanently, and it could be a move that benefits all parties involved.

As noted by Spanish football writer Simon Harrison, the transfer could also be beneficial for the Spain national team:

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Very good news for the Spanish national team. Was always a waste to have Alcácer twiddling his thumbs at Barça. Best place for him to get consistent minutes and feeling confident. https://t.co/zozspyX61B

Alcacer will look to get back on the scoresheet when the Bundesliga returns this weekend.

BVB have a four-point lead at the head of the German top flight and visit Mainz on Saturday.