FC Barcelona announced a new first team signing via social media, its official website and an email sent to members of the press on Wednesday.
Barca was automatically granted permission to make a reinforcement outside of the transfer window after a serious injury suffered by captain and goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen.
The German was stretchered off the pitch in tears, before half time of an eventual 5-1 win in the Estadio de la Ceramica against Villarreal last month.
The following day, the club released a statement confirming an injury though it didn't specify an expected recovery timeframe as seen previously with knocks to the likes of Marc Bernal and Dani Olmo.
"Tests carried out on the first team player Marc ter Stegen confirm that he has a complete rupture in the patella tendon in his right knee," a short statement on social media read.
"On Monday afternoon he will undergo a surgical process and once complete a new update will be released," it added.
Earlier that day, La Liga chief Javier Tebas confirmed that Barca would be able to sign a new player whether he plied his trade between the sticks or in another area of the pitch.
"The regulations allow the incorporation of a player with the same amount [of salary] as the long-term injured [player]. It can incorporate a player, whether it is a goalkeeper or not," Tebas explained from the Europa Forum.
The player in question also had to be a free agent, and a shortlist of goalkeepers was basically whittled down to a toss-up between Juventus legend Wojciech Szczesny or ex-Real Madrid star Keylor Navas.
Mundo Deportivo reported that head coach Hansi Flick preferred the Pole out of the two, with Szczesny attending Tuesday's 5-0 Champions League win over Young Boys in Montjuic.
According to the same newspaper, less than 24 hours after that thrashing, Szczesny had already been to Barca's offices to sign his new contract in the presence of President Joan Laporta.
The club was still yet to announce the move at the time, but then did so approaching 15.00 in Catalonia.
With Ter Stegen expected to be out for a total of eight months, the 34-year-old's deal runs until June 30, 2025.
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