Barcelona has completed the controversial signing of Martin Braithwaite from Leganes after the club was granted special dispensation to complete the deal outside of the transfer window.
LaLiga champion was given permission to sign a forward after injuries to Luis Suarez and Ousmane Dembele left the club short of striking options.
Barca on Thursday confirmed it has met an €18million release clause to bring in the 28-year-old until June 2024, with a buyout clause set at €300million.
Braithwaite has scored six goals in 24 La Liga appearances for relegation-threatened Leganes this season.
Reports that Barca was poised to seal the contentious move raised questions over how the Catalan giant is able to draft in reinforcements with the window closed.
Leganes, which is 19th in La Liga and two points from safety, reportedly had an appeal to complete a transfer of its own turned down as signing a replacement for a departing player does not comply with the rules in Spain.
Struggling Leganes also saw fellow striker Youssef En-Nesyri join Sevilla in a €20million deal in January.
Braithwaite arrived at Leganes in January 2019 after an uninspiring spell at Middlesbrough, while he also spent time on loan in Ligue 1 with Bordeaux.
Barca is second in La Liga, just a point adrift of Clasico rival Real Madrid.
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