Espanyol have completed the signing of Raul de Tomas from Benfica for an initial fee of €20 million (£17m/$22m).
The 25-year-old has signed a six-and-a-half-year deal to become the first arrival since head coach Abelardo took charge last month.
The deal also includes €2m in add-ons and Benfica will retain a 20 per cent sell-on clause for the forward.
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The fee smashes the club's previous transfer record of €10.5m, which they paid to sign Matias Vargas from Velez Sarsfield last July.
De Tomas, who joined Real Madrid at the age of 10 and progressed through the club's youth system, enjoyed productive loan spells with Real Valladolid and Rayo Vallecano before joining Benfica on a five-year deal in July.