Brazilian centre-back Lucio joins Serie A Champions Inter Milan

Just ten days after AC Milan signed Oguchi Onyewu, one of the best defenders in the Confederations Cup tournament, as their first major move in the transfer market, Inter Milan are poised to sign Lucio from Bayern Munich on a three-year contract. Lucio will cost the Serie A champions about €5 million, which would appear a bargain for any Brazil captain. However, the 31-year-old 2002 World Cup winner will move to Inter to get his first taste of Italian calcio. Manchester City had been rumoured to value Lucio’s services at around €7 million, according to The Daily Mail. Fiorentina had also been keen to attain Lucio, and they had actually agreed to terms, but Lucio opted for Inter’s three-year contract offer from Inter over Fiorentina’s two-year contract offer. With Inter’s left-back Maxwell going to Barcelona for a fee of around €4.5 million, Lucio seems to be set for an immediate place in Inter’s starting eleven.

The Bayern Munich faithful will be upset at the news of Lucio’s departure, as he has been such a consistent performer for the Bavarian giants since he signed in 2004 from Bayer Leverkusen for a fee of €8.5 million. However, the newly appointed manager of Bayern, Uli Hoeness, assured the departure of Brazilian by shrouding his future at the club and doubting his ability to earn a place in the starting line-up.

Hoeness stated, “Lucio is transferring immediately to Inter Milan and will receive a three-year contract there… The clubs have reached an agreement and the player is also in agreement with Inter.” The Munchen manager also revealed that after Brazil won the Confederations Cup last month, Lucio submitted a transfer request. Hoeness confirmed, “After the Confederations Cup it was his expressed wish to leave Bayern if there was an offer from a major club.” Hoeness reconciled with the Bayern fans in stating, "We are of course sad that he is leaving because Lucio did outstanding work here.”

Inter President, Massimo Moratti, revealed that the Lucio’s imminent arrival to Milan would end Jose Mourinho’s hopes to acquire the Portuguese internationals, Ricardo Carvalho and Deco. “The Special One” has already brought in Diego Milito and Thiago Motta. Mourinho has also stated that Maxwell is only the first of many departures for a few Inter players, as the Portuguese manager believes the current squad is too large to use effectively. Referring to the current 28-man Inter roster, Jose stated, “It’s not the roster I dreamed about but it’s what I’ve got, and the team’s objectives will change to match this reality. I can’t ask the President for any more: I’ll work harder, but I can’t do miracles. I’m no Merlin or Harry Potter.“