By Peter Vice @ViceytheSS
Bayer 04 Leverkusen officially confirmed the signing of Brazilian right-back Arthur Augusto de Matos Soares on Monday evening.
| Arthur Augusto de Matos Soares | Bayer 04 Leverkusen |
In a deal reported to have been closed over the weekend, Bayer 04 Leverkusen have now officially confirmed the signing of Brazilian right-back “Arthur” Augusto de Matos Soares. The 20-year-old inked a long-term deal good through 2028.
B04 sporting director Simon Rolfes, in his statement accompanying the signing, gave every indication that he considered this a pro-active move ahead of the possible departures of Jeremie Frimpong and Timothy-Fosu Mensah over the summer.
“His signing is a transfer with vision,” Rolfes said, “with Arthur, we have gained a developmental player whom we also trust will play a formative role for us the medium term.”
“I am very proud to be able to play for Bayer 04 soon,” the youngster himself added, “The club is well-known and popular in Brazil, and many of my compatriots have already become outstanding footballers at Leverkusen.”
Germany’s Kicker magazine reports that Leverkusen have paid a base transfer fee of around €6 million to Arthur’s Brazilian club América Mineiro. Performance incentives can push the fee up by approximately another €1 million. The Brazilian club also secured re-sale bonuses.
Leverkusen’s new Brazilian arrival comes one day after Germany’s red company team confirmed a Brazilian departure. Chilean midfielder Charles Aranguiz – who was already set to join SC Internacional Porto Alegre after the season – was granted an early contract termination yesterday.