Real Madrid's basketball club announced on Friday evening the official signing of French forward Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot (31 years old, 1.98 meters) for two seasons, after reaching a final agreement with Baskonia regarding the financial compensation, in a deal considered a blow to Barcelona, which was strongly seeking to sign the international player.

Spanish newspaper 'AS' revealed that Real Madrid reached an initial agreement with the player on July 5, but the deal was contingent on negotiations with Baskonia, which had the right of first refusal to sign the forward after his contract ended on June 30, before the matter was finally resolved after quick negotiations between the two clubs.

The Royal club succeeded in snatching the top scorer of the Spanish basketball league (Liga Endesa) last season, a member of the league's top team, fourth-place finisher in the MVP voting, and one of the top scorers in the EuroLeague, where he posted exceptional numbers averaging 18.1 points per game in the Spanish league and 18.2 points in the EuroLeague.

The French player had impressed everyone in the recent Copa del Rey final against Real Madrid, scoring 28 points in just 28 minutes in a historic performance, which made him the target of the royal club that rushed to close the deal.

This is the second signing announced by Real Madrid after Jaime Pradilla, since Pedro Martínez took over the team, in a clear indication of the club's ambitions to build a team capable of competing for all titles.

In his first statements, Luwawu-Cabarrot said: 'I chose Real Madrid because it is one of the biggest clubs in the world. I wanted to stay in Spain, and I am at the peak of my career now. I want to win as much as possible.'