Barcelona sign Lucas Digne from PSG
Barcelona have agreed a deal with Paris Saint-Germain to sign left-back Lucas Digne for £14m.
Digne, who spent last season on loan at Roma after falling down the pecking order at PSG, will arrive in Barcelona on Thursday to undergo a medical.
The 22-year-old, who played 33 times for Roma last season during a loan spell, joins on a five-year deal with a buy-out clause of £51m.
He made 44 appearances for French champions PSG following his 2013 switch from Lille.
#DigneFCB @LucasDigne signs for Barça for five seasons. More info: https://t.co/0uwvw5kN7M https://t.co/3XA58rwzSb
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) July 13, 2016
The deal follows Tuesday’s confirmation that France centre-back Samuel Umtiti is set to join from Lyon this week for €25m.
Digne, who spent last season on loan at Serie A side Roma and was an unused member of France’s squad during this summer’s Euro 2016 finals, is due to sign his contract and be presented to fans after his medical on Thursday.
Barca had recently been linked with Germany and Cologne left-back Jonas Hector, and Atletico Madrid youngster Theo Hernandez, but Sport reports that Blaugrana sporting director Robert Fernandez made the final decision to sign Digne.
Roma reportedly had an option to sign Digne for £14m at the end of his loan spell but decided against making the deal permanent.
Digne will now provide competition for long-term first choice Jordi Alba, 27, at left-back, and the signing could mean that Adriano Correia, 31, finally moves on from the Camp Nou, having barely featured over the last two seasons.
The outlay takes Barca’s spending so far this summer to around €50m, with playmaker Denis Suarez having been the first new arrival of the summer.
Barca are also expected to sign a new right-back this summer, with the club no longer having a specialist in the position after Dani Alves left for Juventus on a free transfer.
Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu had said last month that the club had €60m available to spend on new signings in addition to any revenue raised through sales.
