Barcelona ships Samper on loan to Las Palmas

Defensive midfielder Sergi Samper joined Las Palmas on loan from Barcelona on Thursday, the Catalan club said in a statement, marking the second consecutive year he's been sent away from his hometown club.

The 22-year-old made 22 league appearances last season during a temporary stay at Granada. Although he featured in several pre-season matches with Barcelona this summer, manager Ernesto Valverde clearly understood the La Masia graduate would get more playing time elsewhere.

The arrival of Paulinho facilitated Samper's departure to Las Palmas, which also counts former Barcelona player Alen Halilovic among its ranks.

Samper has appeared just 11 times for Barcelona since making his first-team debut in a 2014-15 Champions League encounter against APOEL Nicosia.