Aston Villa have completed the signing of winger Adama Traore from Barcelona on a five-year contract in a deal worth up to €12 million.
Traore, 19, made four senior appearances for the Camp Nou outfit, and had been widely expected to be on the move this summer -- Liverpool and Stoke among the Premier League clubs also interested.
Both Villa and Barca announced on Friday morning that the deal had been completed, with the Barcelona-born attacker already in Birmingham having signed for his new club.
TRANSFER NEWS: Huge welcome to our new signing Adama Traore, who joins us from @FCBarcelona. #AVFC #WelcomeAdama pic.twitter.com/CSmKLH607a
- Aston Villa FC (@AVFCOfficial) August 14, 2015
Barca's club statement confirmed the fee being paid, while also saying that the Catalan club had inserted a buy-back clause in the deal enabling them to bring Adama back to the Camp Nou.
"FC Barcelona and Aston Villa FC have reached an agreement for the transfer of Adama Traore for €10m plus €2m more if certain conditions are met," the statement said.
"FC Barcelona reserve the right to buy back the player during the first three years of his contract, and a right to a share in a possible future transfer. The club wishes to publicly thank Adama Traore for his professionalism and dedication during his three years at the club, and to wish him the best in the future."
Villa manager Tim Sherwood jokingly described the player as "a mixture of [Lionel] Messi and [Cristiano] Ronaldo" and added: "He is a big powerful boy, very quick, dynamic, and a maverick type of player. You never know what's going to come out next. Those players are very few and far between."
The pacey winger made his debuts in both La Liga and the Champions League in November 2013, but featured little last season with current coach Luis Enrique preferring to give opportunities to other homegrown youngsters Munir El-Haddadi and Sandro Ramirez.
Villa's new signing played regularly for Barca B during the 2014-15 season, scoring three goals in 37 games as the team struggled and was ultimately relegated from the Segunda Division.
Blaugrana technical director Robert Fernandez had said last week that a transfer was likely, although he said at that point that the player's release clause was just €6 million.