Spain international Paco Alcacer joined Villarreal on a five and a half season deal on Thursday to become the most expensive signing in the club's history.

The 23.5 million euros (26 million U.S. dollars) Villarreal have paid Borussia Dortmund beats the 20 million euros the club paid for former Espanyol striker Gerard Moreno in the summer of 2018, reports Xinhua news agency.

Alcacer returns to Spain after scoring 25 goals in 36 league appearances for Dortmund which he joined a year and a half ago after two difficult years with FC Barcelona which he joined from Valencia.

The striker, who has netted 12 goals in 19 games for the Spain national team, arrived in Villarreal at around midday for his medical with the club. 

He will help add bite to Villarreal's bid to qualify for Europe next season after Karl Toko Ekambi left the club to join Olympique Lyon earlier this month.