Gerard Piqué has rejoined Barcelona from Manchester United on a four-year contract. The young Spaniard returns to the Nou Camp for an undisclosed fee after making just 14 starts and nine substitute appearances since leaving for Old Trafford in 2004.

The 21 year-old spent the entire 2006-07 campaign on loan at Real Zaragoza in La Liga, helping them to secure a Uefa Cup spot.

But on his return to Old Trafford, the longstanding central defensive partnership of Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic meant his route to regular action was blocked.

Pique said: "It is a dream to return to Barca. When I left I thought it would be very difficult to come back and now my dream has come true."

"As a player you grow a lot, personally and in a footballing sense," he said of his time in Manchester. "In this last aspect you learn a lot just by being surrounded by players of such a high level. With Manchester United we won the Champions League, which is an unforgettable experience and one which I would like to repeat in a Barca shirt.

"Barca was the first and only option. Once Barca and United reached an agreement, everything was very simple."

Pique becomes the second player to join Barca this summer following the arrival of Seydou Keita from Seville yesterday.

A statement on the Barcelona website said: "The player will this afternoon sign a contract that will link him to FC Barcelona until June 30 2012 and which will include a buy-out clause of £39.9 million (€50 million).

"With this transfer Gerard Pique returns to Barca, the club in which he began his career as a player between 1997 and 2004, when he left to join Manchester United."

Pique scored two senior goals, both in last season's successful Champions League campaign, against Dynamo Kiev and AS Roma.