01.07.2019 08:33 h

Barcelona midfielder Denis Suarez returns to Celta

Barcelona midfielder Denis Suarez has agreed to move back to his boyhood club Celta Vigo on a four-year deal, the Spanish champions said.

Celta Vigo, based in Spain's northwestern Galicia region, will pay the Catalan giants 12.9 million euros ($14.7 million) plus 3.1 million euros in variables, Barcelona said in a statement late on Sunday.

"Barcelona would like to publicly express its gratitude to Denis Suarez for his commitment and dedication and wish him every bit of luck and success in the future," it said.

The 25-year-old came through Celta Vigo youth academy before moving to Manchester City aged 17 but he never played a competitive game for the Premier League side.

He left the English club for Barcelona in 2013. After a season with Barcelona's reserve team and another year on loan at Sevilla, the former Spain Under-21 international joined Villarreal on a permanent deal.

He returned to Barcelona in 2016, this time to the Catalan club's first team but failed to find a regular spot on the starting lineup.

Suarez went on loan to Arsenal in January but his second spell in England ended prematurely due to injury.