Three days into 2020 and the winter transfer window is in full flow

Benfica completed the signing of Julian Weigl from Borussia Dortmund on a four-and-a-half-year contract for €20 million. 

The fee had been finalized by both the clubs on 31st December itself. The deal is now complete with the announcement to Portugal’s Securities Market Commission.

The 24-year-old joined Dortmund from 1860 Munich in 2015 and had a good beginning, spending most of his first three seasons in the starting XI. He caught attention from top clubs like Barcelona, Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain considering his passing ability and style of play.

Although Weigl was a part of the starting team in 12 out of 17 games, sporting director Michael Zorc confirmed that the player asked to leave. 

The German international has now bagged a deal that ties him till 2024. Benfica also mentioned that his contract contains a €100 million release clause too.

Juventus have also completed their first signing in the winter break. Dejan Kulusevski from Atalanta, with the Swede, set to see out his pre-existing season-long loan at Parma before moving to Turin in the summer.

The 19-year-old was very impressive in the first half of the campaign for Roberto D’Aversa’s side, starting all the 17 Serie A games and contributing a total of four goals and seven assists in the process.

The youngster was previously linked to the Red Devils and Inter Milan too but The Old Lady won the race. 

The Swedish international made his national team debut in 2019 and according to Gianluca Di Marzio, Kulusevski will earn €2.5 million per season to begin with, with that figure set to rise in each year of his four-and-a-half-year contract.

The wide forward, who can also play in midfield, began his career at IF Brommapojkarna in his native Sweden before signing the youth contract at Atalanta in 2016. His debut came three years later in a 5-0 win over Frosinone.

featured image credits- express.co.uk