Paraguay striker Lucas Barrios spoke of his desire "to stay in Europe" as the reason behind his decision to join the 2012 French champions Montpellier on a season-long loan from Spartak Moscow on Tuesday.

"I wanted to stay in Europe and be at a well-run club and Montpellier offered me this opportunity," Barrios said after completing the move, adding that there had been interest from "a number of clubs".

"I want to thank the president and the coach for having confidence in me and for letting me come here. I'm happy to have this new experience and I hope it will be a success."

Barrios, 29, is a two-time Bundesliga champion with Borussia Dortmund (2011 and 2012), from where he went to Chinese club Guangzhou Evergrande before landing in Moscow.

However, he endured a difficult time in Russia where he made just four league starts last season after suffering an injury shortly after his arrival from China.

"I went through a difficult period at Spartak. It was the only place where I didn't play. I started by getting injured and my replacement then played well. Football is like that," Barrios reflected before looking ahead to his new French adventure.

"My goal is to intregrate well within the team. I'm going to try to do the things I have to in order to help the team finish high in the table."

The 23-times capped Argentina-born Paraguayan will likely be ready to make his debut against Marseille this weekend in the second round of Ligue 1 matches.