Barcelona strike €12m deal for Atletico Mineiro´s Emerson

Barcelona have reached an agreement to sign Atletico Mineiro defender Emerson for €12million.

The 20-year-old will join Barca on July 1 and has agreed a five-year deal running until the end of the 2023-24 season.

In the meantime, he will acclimatise to LaLiga with a loan stint at Real Betis for the remainder of this term.

Emerson is currently representing Brazil in the South American Under-20 Championship in Chile and Barcelona compared his style to that of Dani Alves in their statement to announce the deal.

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— Real Betis Balompié (@RealBetis) January 31, 2019

It is believed Barca sporting director Eric Abidal went to watch him in action against Gremio on November 3 during a scouting trip to South America.

LaLiga’s champions have been active in the transfer market this month, sealing a deal to bring in highly rated Ajax midfielder Frenkie De Jong from 2019-20 and bringing in Kevin-Prince Boateng on loan from Sassuolo to provide attacking cover and Jeison Murillo from Valencia to bolster the defence.

B-team product Munir El Haddadi joined Sevilla on a permanent basis, while Denis Suarez moved to Arsenal on loan after signing a one-year contract extension.