Barcelona have completed the signing of 31 year old French defender Jeremie Mathieu from Spanish Primera Liga rivals Valencia for €20m in a four year deal with the option of an extra year.
Mathieu was part of Valencia’s team that reached the semi-final of the Europa League last season, losing out to eventual winners Sevilla in a close semi-final decided on away goals.
Mathieu, who plays in left-back and centre-back positions, is Barcelona’s fifth signing following the arrivals of Croatian playmaker Ivan Rakitic from Sevilla and Uruguayan forward Luis Suarez from Liverpool.
Goalkeepers Claudio Bravo and Marc Andre Ter-Stergen also signed for the Catalan club back in June.