Barcelona have announced they have agreed a fee to sign Spanish star Jordi Alba.
The 23-year-old left back will leave Valencia and join his new team-mates once Euro 2012 concludes at the weekend.
The deal is thought to be in the region of £12 million, subject to the formalities of Alba passing a medical with the Catalans.
A statement on Barca’s website read; “Barcelona announce that today they reached an agreement with Valencia for the transfer of Jordi Alba, who will undergo his medical next week.
“The cost of the operation will be 14 million euros and the player will sign a contract for the next five seasons.”
Coming home
The move will see Alba return home to the Nou Camp, having been a youth academy graduate with the club previously.
He was released in 2005 and after a spell with regional side UE Cornella, Valencia signed him as a 17-year-old.
Since then, he has remained on the books at the Mestalla, although he went out on loan for a season to Gimnastic in 2008.
In total, he played 73 times for Los Che, scoring five times.
Alba’s contract was due to expire in June of next year, so Valencia wisely decided to cash him in rather than risk losing him for nothing next summer.
Impressive performances
Alba put in some impressive performances for Valencia last season on their way to the Europa League semi-finals and third place in La Liga, although they were a massive 39 points behind the champions, Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid.
His excellent form in La Liga saw him break into the international setup, winning his first cap last October in the final Euro qualifier against Scotland. He has made ten appearances since and is a probable starter for Sunday’s final in Kiev.
Despite reported interest from Manchester United, Alba is Barca’s first foray into the transfer market this summer, as they aim to regain the La Liga and Champions League crowns that they lost last season.
It is the first signature under the reign of new manager Tito Vilanova, following Pep Guardiola’s decision to step down at the end of last season.
By Simon Wright – Follow me on Twitter @Siwri88
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