Santos winger will join Barcelona on a free in January

Barcelona have made their first signing of the summer after wrapping up a deal to sign Santos midfielder Lucas Lima in January when his contract expires with Santos, reports ESPN Brasil.

Lima’s current deal is due to expire at the end of the year and he has confirmed he will link up with close friend Neymar at Barcelona in 2017.

Neymar is believed to have played a key role in making the deal happen as Lima is represented by his father’s consultancy agency, N&N.

Lima, 26, has spent the last three years at Santos after moving from Internacional in 2014 and will now sign a five-year deal worth €4m (£3.5m) with the Spanish giants, which is a significant pay rise on what he could earn in Brazil.

The Santos No.10 has only made four appearances in the league this season and is yet to score or set up a goal. He had scored or assisted 25 goals in 90 league appearances for the Brazilian giants prior to this season.

For more stats on Lucas Lima, click here to visit his WhoScored player page