Espanyol have beaten out competition from Celtic in order to sign Vinicius Souza on loan.
The 23-year-old Brazilian midfielder heads to Catalonia for a season on loan from Lommel, as was made official by the club on Friday. Souza arrived in European football in 2020 following a move from Flamengo, which was reported at €2.5m in value. Last season he spent on loan at KV Mechelen in Belgian football.
✅ ¡Preparado!
🫶 Gràcies, @ClinicaCorachan @viniciusouza99 | #ViniciusPerico pic.twitter.com/t0wBfRCKEq— RCD Espanyol de Barcelona (@RCDEspanyol) July 8, 2022
Souza was closely linked with Celtic too, but ultimately opted for a move to La Liga. That will no doubt please Los Pericos, but there may well be some disappointment that they failed to secure a buy option on the defensive midfielder, which slightly changes the way his season might be handled.
His presence will be appreciated by manager Diego Martinez however, as he strengthens a relatively light midfield core, previously consisting of just Pol Lozano, Sergi Darder and Keidi Bare. Souza should also add a little more presence in the middle of the park.
