Barcelona sign £15.8m defender Jeremy Mathieu from Valencia

Mathieu made 126 league appearances in five seasons at Valencia, scoring six times

Barcelona have signed Valencia defender Jeremy Mathieu on a four-year deal for a fee of £15.8m.

Mathieu, 30, has won two caps for France and can play at left-back or centre-back.

He will replace former captain Carles Puyol, who has retired from playing after 15 years at the club.

A Barcelona statement said: "The cost of the transfer of Mathieu is 20m euros and the buyout clause will be 50m euros."

Mathieu made 126 league appearances in five seasons at Valencia, scoring six times.

Barcelona - who finished second in La Liga last season - have had a busy summer under new coach Luis Enrique.

They broke their transfer record to sign striker Luis Suarez from Liverpool for £75m, and also brought in midfielder Ivan Rakitic from Sevilla.

Goalkeepers Marc-Andre Ter Stegen and Claudio Bravo have also arrived, while Cesc Fabregas,Puyol,Victor Valdes,Bojan Krkic and Alexis Sanchez have all left the Nou Camp.