July 21, 2011 -- Updated 2040 GMT (0440 HKT)
Chilean international star Alexis Sanchez has joined Barcelona from Udinese.
(CNN) -- Champions League winners Barcelona have signed Chilean star Alexis Sanchez from Serie A Udinese on a five-year deal.
Barcelona confirmed Thursday on their website that they had been successful in their pursuit of the 22-year-old, who had been linked to a number of other top European clubs.
Sanchez has cost the Spanish champions €26 million ($38.2m) but could pay an additional €11.5 ($16.5m) depending on appearances.
He will be the first Chilean to play for the Catalan giants and gave clear indications that he wanted to join them in preference to other clubs.
"He has been strongly committed to playing for Barca," the statement said.
Sanchez will have medical before being officially presented at the Nou Camp Monday.
Sanchez, who was voted best player in Serie A last season with 12 goals in 31 games, is Barcelona's first major signing of the close season transfer window.
In another major signing Thursday, Portuguese giants Benfica completed the signing of Spain's World Cup winning defender Joan Capdevila from Villarreal.
The 33-year-old left-back has been signed as a replacement for Portugal international Fabio Coentrao, who departed Lisbon for Real Madrid earlier this month.
Capdevila played every match of Spain's successful campaign in South Africa and the former Atletico Madrid full-back has signed a two-year deal at the Estadio de Luz.
The one-time Deportivo la Coruna player has represented Spain on 57 occasions and was also part of Luis Aragones' victorious Euro 2008 squad.
Elsewhere, Dutch coach Ronald Koeman returned to football Thursday after agreeing to take the reigns at Dutch first division club Feyenoord.
The 48-year-old has been out of the sport since leaving AZ Alkmaar in December 2009 and signed a one-year deal with the Rotterdam side.
As a player, Koeman won the 1988 European Championships with Netherlands and the European Cup with both Barcelona and PSV.
He also spent two years with Feyenoord between 1995-97.
Former Feyenoord coach Mario Been left the club after a disappointing season yielded a 10th place finish in the league and saw the one-time European champions humiliated 10-0 by PSV Eindhoven last October.
Koeman has previously had spells in charge of Ajax, Benfica, PSV and Valencia.
Credit: CNN (www.cnn.com)
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