Juventus have reportedly reached an agreement to sign Sao Paulo defender Lyanco, who was also linked with Manchester United and Atletico Madrid.
According to Fabrizio Romano of Calciomercato, Juventus have reached an agreement with Sao Paulo to sign the highly rated defender Lyanco in the summer. The Brazilian wonderkid was also being tailed by the likes of Manchester United and Atletico Madrid.
Lyanco is a 20-year-old central defender who rapidly progressed through the ranks at Botafogo before joining Brazilian giants Sao Paulo FC in 2015. The youngster was so impressive in his first season at Sao Paulo that he was almost immediately promoted to the first team setup.
In just over a year and a half with Sao Paulo, Lyanco has already notched up 21 appearances in the Brasileirao, and has been impressive at the heart of their defence. Like most Brazilian defenders, Lyanco possesses remarkable abilities on the ball, and also has a strong aerial presence while also improving his positioning sense consistently.
Juventus have reached an agreement with Sao Paolo for Lyanco – €6 million plus bonuses. [@FabrizioRomano] pic.twitter.com/itG8HfgYha
— Juvefc.com (@juvefcdotcom) March 4, 2017
Having been rated as one of the most promising young players in Brazil, it is not surprising that he has been monitored closely by some of the biggest clubs in Europe. Juventus and Atletico Madrid have both previously made offers for Lyanco, while Manchester United also joined in his pursuit recently.
The English heavyweights are reported to be in the market for a central defender in the summer, having also scouted the likes of Stefan de Vrij and Victor Lindelof in recent months. However, it now looks like they have been beaten to Lyanco’s signing by Juventus.
The Bianconeri have indeed been long-time admirer of Lyanco’s talents and also had previous offers for the centre-back turned down by Sao Paulo, including a deadline day bid in January. With the futures of Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci coming under constant speculation, he could well be the player to succeed the two Italian stalwarts in the long-term.
The report states that Juventus have secured Lyanco’s services for an initial fee of €6 million that could rise to €9 million with bonuses. And while the Bianconeri expect the deal to be finalised next week, Lyanco will be headed to Sassuolo on loan next season, with Rodrigo Bentacur currently occupying the final non-EU space in the squad.
However, with Lyanco being one of the most promising young defenders in the world, it looks like Juventus may have struck a transfer coup.
