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Brazilian national team and Bayer Leverkusen defender Lucio will most likely move to Munich and play for them next season.
Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, the vice-president of the German vice-champions, said to a television channel today that this transfer has a good chance: "We reached an agreement with the player and the club. He still needs to pass a medical examination, and if everything goes well, there is a good chance that he will play for us next season."
Rummenigge did not disclose how much Bayern would pay for the Brazilian, but it is believed that Lucio has a clause in his contract with Bayer allowing him to leave for a transfer fee of 15 million euros. Such a purchase would be the second largest in Bayern's history, with the biggest being the signing of Roy Makaay for 18.5 million. It would also be the first new player in the team coached by Felix Magath, who replaced the dismissed Ottmar Hitzfeld and signed a contract with Bayern until 2007.
The Bavarian club could finalize Lucio's transfer in the next couple of hours, but they will carefully study the results of the medical examination beforehand, as Lucio has had knee problems recently and underwent surgery a month ago.
Meanwhile, Bayer president Reiner Calmund mentioned that he would prefer to sell the player abroad, as otherwise they would have to face him in Bundesliga matches frequently. Among such players are already Ze Roberto and Michael Ballack, who moved to Bayern two years ago.
In 2001, Lucio moved from Porto Alegre to Germany and has already played a total of 92 matches in the country's championship. In 2002, with Bayer, he lost the Champions League final, but later won the World Cup playing for the Brazilian national team. His excellent performance in defense and attack attracted the attention of European giants, and last month Lucio admitted that he would like to move to a more powerful club.
