Barcelona sign Martin Braithwaite

Martin Braithwaite has completed his move to Barcelona after the Catalan club paid the Danish forward's 18 million euro release clause to Leganes.

Braithwaite has penned a contract that will last until June 30, 2024, while his new release clause will be 300 million euros.

Following weeks of failed pursuits, Barcelona have finally brought in a forward to cover the injuries to Luis Suarez and Ousmane Dembele, as well as the departure of Carles Perez.

In January, Barcelona rejected the idea of bringing in a striker, but the injury to Dembele forced their hand.

LaLiga gave the club permission to sign a replacement for Dembele outside of the transfer window on Monday, once it was confirmed that the Frenchman will miss the six months of action.

Willian Jose was Barcelona's top target, yet they could not reach an agreement with Real Sociedad.

Then there was Angel Rodriguez, with Barcelona having struck a pre-agreement with Getafe for his arrival, but critical voices at the Camp Nou about his age - he's 32 - led to the Blaugrana looking elsewhere.

Finally, Braithwaite is the man Barcelona have been able to bring to the club.

The 28-year-old has played in 27 games across LaLiga Santander and the Copa del Rey for Leganes this season, scoring a total of eight goals.

Braithwaite is versatile, a characteristic that has been key for Quique Setien's Barcelona: he can play as a central striker, as an attacking midfielder or as a left winger.

This versatility is what caused Setien to push for Braithwaite's arrival.

The forward has a lot of experience, having also played in Denmark, France and England.

Source: Marca