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What the news?
Barcelona have officially confirmed that Borussia Dortmund have exercised their right-to-buy option to sign the on-loan striker, Paco Alcacer.
In case you didn't know...
Barca sent the 25-year-old to Dortmund on a season-long loan during summer and he has been a vital part of the team’s success this term. The Spanish international scored 12 goals in 18 league games this season and is only behind Luka Jovic in the race of the Bundesliga Golden Shoe.
Borussia Dortmund are currently at the top of the Bundesliga table, six points clear of Bayern Munich. They lost just one game in the league all season and also scored the most number of goals (50).
On the other hand, Barcelona are also at the top of the LaLiga table, five points ahead of Atletico Madrid. They also qualified for the knock-out stages of the Champions League and will face Lyon in the Round of 16.
The heart of the matter
Barcelona confirmed it on their official website that the German side 'took advantage of the permanent transfer option' included in the loan deal that was reached for the striker last summer – a slightly confusing statement, given that Dortmund 'confirmed' the purchase back in November.
The Catalan giants revealed that Dortmund will pay €23m and €5m more in 'variables' and confirmed that they will receive 5% of any future sale by Dortmund.
Paco Alcacer joined Barcelona from Getafe in 2016 but never got enough opportunities to showcase his talents at Camp Nou. He played 36 league games during his three years stay at the club, scoring 10 times.
What's next?
Barcelona will play Valencia in the league next before hosting Real Madrid at the Camp Nou for the first leg of the Copa del Rey semi-finals.
On the other hand, Borussia Dortmund will play Eintracht Frankfurt in the league later today before hosting Werder Bremen at Signal Iduna Park for the third round of the DFB Cup on February 6.
