Borussia Dortmund have told Barcelona that it is their intention to pay the €23 million (£20m/$26.5m) clause to sign striker Paco Alcacer on a full-time basis, CEO of the Catalans Oscar Grau has confirmed.
After flopping at Camp Nou, Alcacer has made a remarkable start to life in Germany, and it seems his long-term future is with BVB.
In just three Bundesliga appearances for Lucien Favre's side, he has already found the net on six occasions, while he also netted in a 3-0 Champions League win over Monaco.
Unsurprisingly, BVB have been eager to ensure that the 25-year-old remains with them, and as such they have told Barca that they plan to pay the purchase fee on the loan deal.
"Borussia Dortmund have already told us of their intention to pay the clause and buy the player," Grau told the club's general assembly on Saturday.
Alcacer has already scored as many goals in four games for Dortmund as he did in his season at Barcelona, where he appeared only 23 times and was branded a €30 million (£26m/$35m) flop - a fee they could recoup if he meets certain bonus criteria in Dortmund.
He was therefore happy to leave Camp Nou for a new adventure in Germany during the summer.
"In the end, it all comes down to making decisions," he told a news conference last month. "Being at Barcelona for years, not having a leading role, not everything going as I had wanted...
"I decided to look for minutes elsewhere. A player with confidence is better than one without confidence. I left in order to feel happy playing.
"The decisions I was able to make, I made. The conversations with [coach] Ernesto [Valverde] were private and I decided to look for minutes elsewhere. At Barca, with Luis Suarez, [Lionel] Messi, [Ousmane] Dembele... it's tough to play."
Having experienced a rebirth in his form, he was recalled to the Spain squad last week and marked his return with a goal against Wales.
Speaking to Teledeporte, he explained why things are coming together for him now: "It's a bit of everything: a good streak, confidence, having minutes and, above all, working every day when you do not play to be able to be well when you return."
Dortmund, who top the Bundesliga with 17 points from seven games, tackle Stuttgart on Saturday, while his parent club have a top-of-the-table meeting against Sevilla.
