Sevilla snare Madrid striker Negredo

Just a month after returning to Real Madrid CF, Álvaro Negredo has departed once again to join Sevilla FC on a five-year deal, the Rojiblancos paying a reported €15m for his services.

Buyback clause
The 24-year-old is one of the hottest properties in Spanish football after scoring 31 goals in 70 Liga appearances for unfashionable UD Almería over the past two seasons, including 19 last term as the club finished eleventh. That form convinced Madrid to exploit a buy-back clause in the deal that saw him leave the capital in 2007, and in time Negredo may return from Sevilla as Madrid once again have an option to repurchase the striker.

'Preferred destination'
For now, however, the man from the Madrid suburb of Vallecas is content to focus on his new challenge. "I'm thrilled Sevilla have opted to sign me and now I have to show my worth out on the pitch," he said. "If I'm honest, this was my preferred destination from the start – I hope I won't let the club down." Sevilla's UEFA Champions League campaign kicks off in the group stage starting in the middle of next month.