Brazilian defender Lyanco has transferred to Qatar from Southampton.

Fifth place Al Gharafa declared the signing of Brazilian defender Lyanco from Southampton, according to a post on social media.

The announcement failed to specify details of the deal however the Brazilian arrived in Qatar on Tuesday to perform his medical tests.

Lyanco was instrumental in the now-relegated Southhampton side. The defender featured in 21 Premier League matches, scoring one goal and contributing with a single assist. Regrettably, his efforts were unable to prevent Southampton from going down to the EFL Championship.

After being an unused substitute in the club’s initial three league matches this season, Lyanco has garnered interest from various clubs, including Besiktas and the Scottish powerhouse Celtic.

Reports suggested that Lyanco was among the names on the Celtic radar. Brendan Rodgers was eager to secure cover for the injured Cameron Carter-Vickers, Maik Nawrocki, and Stephen Welsh.

During a busy summer, the Qatari giants welcomed Senegalese wonderkind Seydou Sano from Sporting Braga, in addition to securing the services of Tunisia international Ferjani Sassi and Ivorian forward Yohan Boli.

Lyanco, a former Brazil U23 international, previously had stints with Brazilian clubs Botafogo and São Paulo. He then ventured to Italy, where he played for Torino and Bologna.

The 26-year-old Brazilian centre-back had scored one goal in 49 appearances since joining Saints on a four-year contract from Torino for a $7.5 million fee in August 2021.

He is currently valued at $3.5 million according to tranfermarkt.