MADRID, July 22 (Reuters) - Barcelona have agreed to sign Brazilian defender Henrique on a five-year deal from Palmeiras for a fee of eight million euros ($12.74 million), but said the player will be loaned out to Bayer Leverkusen next season.
The Primera Liga side released a statement that said the deal included an additional two-million euro bonus payment if the club qualified for the Champions League after Henrique returns from Bayer.
Barcelona are in the process of rebuilding their squad after failing to win a trophy for the past two seasons.
They have sold Ronaldinho to AC Milan and brought in Martin Caceres, Gerard Pique and Daniel Alves to bolster their defence and Aleksandr Hleb and Seydou Keita to strengthen the midfield. (Reporting by Simon Baskett, editing by Justin Palmer) ((simon.baskett@thomsonreuters.com; +34 91 585 2161; Reuters Messaging: simon.baskett.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net. For the latest Reuters Premier League and international football news see: http://football.uk.reuters.com/))
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Tuesday, 22 July 2008 13:33:41RTRS
