Official: Sporting Lisbon sign Atletico Madrid's Elias for club record fee of ?8.8m
The Brazilian midfielder has agreed to a new challenge in Portugal after just six months in the Spanish capital, where he had become surplus to requirementsSporting Lisbon have announced to the Portuguese stock market that they have completed the signing of Atletico Madrid midfielder Elias for a club record fee of ?8.8 million.
The Brazil international has penned a five-year contract which will keep him at the Estadio de Alvalade until the summer of 2016, with a ?40m release clause inserted into the deal.Elias, who joined Atletico from Corinthians in December, played an important role in the second half of last season, but had been left out of the club's plans for the new campaign as coach Gregorio Manzano assigned the available three non-EU places to Miranda, Falcao and Salvio.
The 26-year-old, who has become Sporting's 16th signing of the summer, will provide a breath of fresh air into the club's midfield, an area which was in need of some fine-tuning as Netherlands international Stijn Schaars has so far failed to impress.
Sporting are currently 11th in the league, with two points from three games, and have progressed to the Europa League group stage, where they will meet Lazio, FC Zurich and Vaslui.
http://www.goal.com/en/news/11/transfer-zone/2011/08/30/2643379/official-sporting-lisbon-sign-atletico-madrids-elias-for
