Sheffield United have completed the signing of Ben Brereton Diaz on loan from Villarreal.
The 27-year-old Chilean striker joins until the end of the season, and could make his debut for the club in the FA Cup third-round tie at Gillingham on Saturday providing he receives international clearance.
"As soon as I knew there was interest, I spoke to a few people, and we got it done quickly," Brereton Diaz told the club's official website.
"I wasn't really playing out there [in Spain] and was told I could go out on loan, so it is great to be over in England now at such a great club and a club I know well through playing against. I can't wait to get started.
"I spoke to Chris [Wilder, the Sheff Utd manager] on the phone, and he was telling me about what the team stands for - hard work, desire and things like that. That's something I enjoy, and it was something I wanted to be part of.
"Coming here is great for myself, playing in the Premier League is something you dream of as a young boy so that's great for me and I just can't wait to get started."
"It's great to be over in England now at such a great club and a club I know well through playing against. I can't wait to get started." 👊@benbreo's first interview as a Blade 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/oBcefYb6cN
— Sheffield United (@SheffieldUnited) January 5, 2024
Brereton Diaz's history
Brereton Diaz has a history in English football, having been part of Manchester United and Stoke City's youth set-up before joining Nottingham Forest in 2015.
He then moved to Blackburn Rovers in 2018, initially on loan, before making the move a permanent one in January 2019 for a reported fee of £7million. His best season for the club was in 2021/22 where he scored 22 goals in all competitions, which included a strike against the Blades at Ewood Park.
Last season he scored a further 16 times across all competitions before moving to LaLiga.
'He's excited about playing for this club'
Blades boss Wilder discussed his delight in bringing in Brereton Diaz while adding what he could bring to his team.
"Ben was a coveted player so we're delighted to have brought him to the club," Wilder said.
"We all know about him from his days at Blackburn. He's a versatile operator at the top of the pitch, who gives us options in terms of playing off the side or playing through the middle. He's quick, powerful and obviously his recent goal record at Blackburn speaks for itself. He's got plenty of international experience as well over the last few years, representing Chile.
"For me, the fact that he really wanted to come here and play in the Premier League was a big factor. I didn't have to say much about Sheffield United because he knows all about us already, he's done his homework and liked what he'd heard and what we had to say to him."
