Real Betis signs Andres Guardado from PSV Eindhoven

Andres Guardado is moving to La Liga.

On Friday, Real Betis Balompie signed Guardado from PSV Eindhoven, as the Mexican midfielder put pen to paper on a contract until 2020. The move marks Los Beticos' sixth signing of the summer transfer window. According to ESPN FC's Tom Marshall, the club fought off interest from Major League Soccer and other parties.

"He'll give us lots of things," Lorenzo Serra Ferrer, the sporting vice-president at Real Betis, said. "He's a great footballer with an impressive resume. He has chosen Betis to get ready and play in his fourth World Cup. This speaks to the magnitude and relevance he has. He's a footballer with experience and polyvalence.

"In addition to his technical quality, he can play in various positions. He has magnificent qualities in relation to his human quality and competitive spirit. He has the character of a leader and he'll give us experience. He can bring us commitment and I'm convinced he'll fit perfectly."

Guardado, a product of Atlas, is exiting PSV with 102 appearances to his name and two Eredivisie titles, won in 2014-15 and 2015-16. As the Dutch club wrote in a tribute, he is "(possibly) PSV's most influential player of the past years."

In a letter published on Twitter in three languages, Guardado wrote:

Our home is your home. There are not enough words for me to thank you all - the way you have made me feel throughout these three wonderful years, since the moment I got to Eindhoven - without knowing that I would stumble across such a beautiful city. Now, I am saying goodbye by remembering a phrase that was hanging in the Phillips Stadion's stands: 'Our home is your home,' and that's the way it will always be.

I am leaving the club holding some of the best memories I've lived, and with a huge list of people that I truly need to thank. Two league titles, two Super Cups, and one group of strangers that turned into amazing teammates, friends, and family. Thank you all, and each of you individually, for the time shared together and for treating my family and I so well. I am now awaiting a new challenge, but my biggest wish is for this team to continue succeeding and winning. I love you PSV Eindhoven, I will always be by your side!