© EuroFootball.com
One of the most anticipated summer purchases was right-back Joaquin from the Spanish national team officially transferred to Valencia on Monday for an impressive sum of 25 million euros.
Valencia announced on their website that they had reached an agreement with Sevilla regarding the transfer fee, and a six-year contract was signed with the Spaniard.
Although neither party disclosed the transfer fee, the Spanish media reported that Valencia paid a record-breaking sum of 25 million euros for the Spanish national team's right-back.
Joaquin became the second most expensive purchase in Spain this summer - he was "surpassed" by Malian national team goalkeeper Mahamadou Diarra, who transferred from Lyon to Real Madrid last week for one million euros more.
Joaquin, who has represented the Spanish national team 42 times and participated in this year's World Cup in Germany, broke into the main squad of Real Betis in the 2000s from the youth team and has since been one of the favorite players among the club's fans.
The 2004 Spanish champion and UEFA Cup winner Valencia spent over 45 million euros this summer on new purchases. In addition to Joaquin, the team was reinforced by Spanish striker Fernando Morientes and Italian striker Francesco Tavano, as well as left-back Asier del Horno. However, striker Pablo Aimar, who moved to Zaragoza, and Spanish national team striker Mista, who transferred to Atletico Madrid, left the club this summer.
Valencia qualified for this year's UEFA Champions League, where they will compete in Group D against Roma, Olympiakos, and Shakhtar Donetsk.
