Sergi Canós has joined Valencia on a permanent deal for an undisclosed fee, subject to international clearance.
Only 12 players in history have played more games and scored more goals for Brentford than Canós, who first arrived at the club on loan from Liverpool in August 2015.
“Sergi Canós is probably as synonymous with Brentford’s rise as any player in the last decade,” said director of football Phil Giles.
“He has been with us for all but one and half seasons since our League One promotion; he’s been here for nearly all our biggest successes and biggest disappointments.
“Sergi joined us as a kid and grew up with us, as the club grew alongside him.
“My biggest memories of Sergi include him geeing up the crowd as an 18-year-old substitute, him being announced to the crowd on the last day of the January transfer window in 2017 as our then record signing, and getting a fantastic reception on the platform at Burton station after a 5-3 win in the Championship. No doubt fans will pick their own favourite memory.
“Therefore I’m sure I speak for all Brentford fans when we say thank you to Sergi for everything, and wish him well as he finally gets to move back home.”
“Sergi Canós is probably as synonymous with Brentford’s rise as any player in the last decade; he’s been here for nearly all our biggest successes and biggest disappointments”
Quickly establishing himself as a terrace favourite, Canós scored Brentford’s 2015/16 Goal of the Season against Reading and ended his debut campaign with seven goals from 39 appearances.
On returning to Anfield, he made what proved to be his only Liverpool appearance as a late substitute on the final day of the Premier League season against West Bromwich Albion.
The former Barcelona youngster had a brief spell with Norwich City ahead of his return to TW8, this time permanently, in January 2017.
He made more than 100 appearances over the next two-and-a-half years, scoring 16 goals, but a serious knee injury picked up in October 2019 ruled him out for nine months.
Canós returned to fitness for Brentford’s run to the 2019/20 play-off final before enjoying a career-defining season as Thomas Frank’s side reached the Premier League 10 months later.
Canós played 55 games that campaign, scoring nine goals. He featured in every one of the Bees’ Sky Bet Championship and play-off fixtures; his four goals in December, which included a stunning hat-trick at Cardiff City, saw him nominated for the Championship Player of the Month award.
Canós passed 200 games for the club during that season and wrote his name further into Bees history against Arsenal on the opening night of the 2021/22 Premier League campaign with the first goal back in the top flight after a 74-year absence - a strike that saw him pick up a second Brentford Goal of the Season prize.
He ended the 2021/22 season with three goals in 31 Premier League appearances and went on to make a further six appearances for the Bees during the first half of the 2022/23 campaign.
In January, Canós joined Greek Super League side Olympiacos on loan. He made eight appearances and scored four goals, with his season curtailed by injury.
In total, Canós departs having played 249 games for Brentford, 36 of which came in the Premier League. He has scored 36 goals for the Bees.