Saints seal deal for Lyanco

The 24-year-old today finalised a transfer from Italian side Torino, putting pen to paper on a four-year contract and becoming the latest addition to Ralph Hasenhüttl’s squad this summer.

Born in Vitória, Espírito Santo, in south-east Brazil, he began his career in the youth ranks at Botafogo before going on to play for São Paulo, where he would make his professional debut in 2015.

it's a dream not only for me but for all of my family too.

lyanco
on joining southampton

Lyanco, who also holds Serbian nationality, featured 25 times for the club, with his form earning him a transfer to Serie A in 2017, as he signed a five-year deal with Torino.

His development continued with a loan spell at Bologna in the 2018/19 campaign, ahead of him returning to his parent club, where he has been a regular over the past two seasons, making a total of 53 appearances during his time in Turin.

On the international scene, Lyanco has represented Serbia at Under-19 level, before subsequently featuring for Brazil’s Under-20 and Under-23 teams.

Lyanco said: "I'm very happy to be here. It’s a dream that I have had since I started playing football as a child to play in the Premier League and for a team like Southampton. It’s a dream not only for me but for all my family too.

"I grew up in Brazil and the football is different there, then when I went to Italy I learned that you have to be focused more on tactics. My dream was to play in the Premier League and play strong football, and for me English football is perfect."