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The Madrid club, currently occupying seventh place in the Spanish championship, strengthened its ranks with the Latvian national team and Kyiv striker Marius Verpakovskis.
The 27-year-old striker, who attracted a lot of attention after his successful 2004 European Championship in Portugal, is moving to Spain for six months - the duration of his loan agreement from the Ukrainian club, which should receive about 200,000 euros.
According to unofficial data, the contract also includes a clause allowing "Getafe" to acquire all rights to the Latvian for approximately 1.5 million euros.
The striker line has long been a major headache for "Getafe" head coach Bernd Schuster. M. Verpakovskis, who is joining the team, will have to compete with Dani Guiza and Veljko Paunovic for a spot in the starting lineup.
"I am very happy to continue my career at 'Getafe'," the striker told one of the Latvian newspapers. "The Spanish championship is one of the strongest in Europe, and 'Getafe' is a capable club coached by an excellent coach."
"Of course, I wanted to sign a long-term contract, but I was only given six months to show all my abilities," the Latvian said. "I understand that in this situation, everything depends only on me."
M. Verpakovskis may debut in Spain in a match against European champions and "La Liga" leaders "Barcelona". The match will take place on January 7.
