Benfica boost attack by buying Brazilian ace Marcos Leonardo
Portuguese champions Benfica have completed the signing of Santos striker Marcos Leonardo.
The highly rated 20-year-old marksman has signed a 5-year contract. He cost the Lisbon club €18 million and his release clause has been set at a whopping €150 million.
Leonardo arrived in the Portuguese capital in the early hours of Thursday morning and put pen to paper on a long-term contract after completing his medical.
Santos are known in Brazil for producing star names, the club famously nurturing both Pele and Neymar.
Leonardo has a long way to go to reach such esteemed company, but the stats from the start of his career make for impressive reading.
He has scored 21 goals and provided four assists in 49 matches for Santos, despite the fact his club struggled for most of that time, and indeed were relegated in the season that has just finished.
“I hope to score lots of goal and win lots of trophies with Benfica,” said Leonardo.
With fellow Brazilian Arthur Cabral the Benfica No. 9, Leonardo has chosen No. 36, explaining that it was the shirt number he was wearing when he scored his first goal for Santos.
By Tom Kundert