Borussia Dortmund have confirmed the loan signing of striker Paco Alcácer from Barcelona.

The Spanish striker joins the Bundesliga side on an initial one-year deal, with Dortmund paying the Spanish champions a reported fee of €2 million whilst having the further option to buy him next summer.

He ends the club’s search for a main striker, helping to fill the void left by the departure of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to Arsenal in January.

A new role for the Spaniard

Alcácer had joined Barça in 2016 from Valencia, however unsurprisingly he was largely used as a back-up to Lionel Messi, Luis Suárez and, until last summer, Neymar.

He scored 10 times for them in 37 La Liga appearances for them, often from the bench, compared with a record of 30 goals in 93 games for Valencia. He also has six goals from 13 caps for Spain, although all of those appearances came before he joined the Catalan giants.

Having played second fiddle for the past couple of years, Alcácer, who turns 25 on Thursday, could find himself thrust into the role of leading man at Signal-Iduna-Park. Dortmund are yet to sign a permanent replacement for Aubameyang.

Michy Batshayi impressed on loan from Chelsea but proved too expensive going forward, Alexander Isak is still seen only as a prospect, with Marco Reus and Maximilian Philipp having led the line for Lucien Favre’s side so far this season.

Dortmund’s new number nine

Dortmund announced the move on Tuesday afternoon, confirmed that they had the option to sign him to a four-year contract next summer. It is also being reported that Barcelona will retain an option on him if Dortmund were then to sell him on.

Dortmund Sporting Director Michael Zorc said that the club were “absolutely delighted” to sign the Spaniard and that they are “firmly convinced this type of player will be a good fit for our style of play.”

“I’m really looking forward to playing in the Bundesliga soon,” said Alcácer himself. “It’s one of the best leagues in the world and BVB, with their unbelievable fans and their famous South Stand, probably represent something magical for every football player.”

Provided all the formalities are completed, he could come into the Dortmund side for their trip to Hannover 96 on Friday night, ahead of the international break. He was been handed the number nine shirt by the club.

Quotes via Borussia Dortmund.