Sheffield United have announced the signing of midfielder Vinicius Souza from Belgian side Lommel.
The Brazil midfielder joins on a four-year deal and is Sheff Utd's fifth acquisition of the summer transfer window.
"I'm very happy to be here, signing for the Blades, Souza told the club's official website. "I want to say thank you to everyone for making this happen.
Vinícius Souza is a Blade. 🇧🇷✍️ pic.twitter.com/i8Nk17nRbw
— Sheffield United (@SheffieldUnited) August 9, 2023
"The coach sent me messages of support, I'm very happy, it is my dream to play in the Premier League, I don't care who I play against."
For Paul Heckingbottom, securing the 24-year-old's services has seen the manager's patient approach pay off.
"Vini is athletic, enjoys the defensive side of the game and likes to compete, we know we are getting a good player and he knows what role we want him to perform for us," said Heckingbottom.
"He is someone we have known for a long time, we became aware of him the Christmas before last when I first saw him and we started discussing him. This summer is the first time our paths have aligned and we've been able to go for him.
"I'm delighted we've been able to get him on a permanent deal, we thought it would only be a loan, but we think he is going to be really important for us this season - and going forward.
"There has been a lot of hard work gone into getting him to Bramall Lane and I think that's why he has chosen us over other options."
TV Info
Born in Rio de Janeiro, Vinicius started his career with Flamengo before joining Lommel in 2020. He made 37 appearances in LaLiga last season on loan to Espanyol.
Vinicius could get his first taste of Premier League action this weekend when Sheff Utd start their season at home to Crystal Palace on Saturday 12 August.