Lille have completed the signing of Sao Paulo midfielder Thiago Mendes in a move said to be worth up to €9million, with Kevin Malcuit also arriving from Saint-Etienne.
Defensive midfielder Mendes has put pen to paper on a five-year contract with Lille and follows in the footsteps of Luiz Araujo, who left Sao Paulo for the Ligue 1 club in June.
Mendes won Brazil s Serie B with Goias in 2012 and, after two seasons in the top flight, moved to the Paulista giants and played a key role in their run to the 2016 Copa Libertadores semi-finals.
The 25-year-old expressed his delight at securing a European move and getting the chance to work under head coach Marcelo Bielsa.
Since I was a child, playing in Europe has always been a dream for me, Mendes told Lille s official website.
I am very happy to be at Lille and in a competitive league. I hope to achieve my goals and win titles with this shirt.
I want to grow as an individual and as part of the team, especially with Marcelo Bielsa, who has a very high reputation. I hope to progress alongside him.
Bem-vindo Thiago
— LOSC (@losclive)
Lille also announced the arrival of the right-sided player Malcuit from Saint-Etienne on a five-year contract.
Malcuit is hoping to establish himself as a player of Ligue 1 quality after spells in the third and second tiers with Monaco, Vannes, Frejus Saint-Raphael and Chamois Niortais between 2011 and 2015.
I m happy to be here wearing this jersey, he said. I look forward to being on the pitch and evolving by working with Marcelo Bielsa.
He is a great coach known throughout the world, who knows how to develop his players and push them to their limits.
53 Kevin Malcuit completed 53 dr
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ibbles in Ligue 1 2016/17, only Ludovic Baal (62) did better among the defenders. Lille.
— OptaJean (@OptaJean)
