Ipswich Town have signed midfielder, Florentino Luis from Burnley in a transfer totalling £19m.
Luis’ move to Portman Road comes after he spent a single season at Burnley in which he contributed two assists in 33 appearances across all competitions on loan from Benfica, which led the Clarets to sign him permanently for £20.8m due to an obligatory clause despite having suffered relegation.
Burnley officials however opted to sell him in order to remove his expensive wage from their financial books which led to newly-promoted Hull to negotiate a season-long loan with option to buy next summer, but Ipswich swooped in with a permanent transfer fee totalling £19m.
The transfer however involved a £16m initial fixed fee plus a further £3m in add-ons, meaning that Burnley have made a net loss of between £4.8m to £1.8m subject to the number of the add-on clauses being activated.
“It feels brilliant to be a part of this club,” explained Luis who has signed a five-year contract until June 2031 and is excited for the Tractor Boys’ future.
“I think I will be very happy here. I like how the club sees the future and there are a lot of good players here. How the club is thinking to the long-term is one of the main reasons I came here.
“I can bring experience and balance to the team, between defence and attack, and I like to bring the connection.
“Now I have signed I can’t wait to meet my teammates and the fans and get started with the team.”
Ipswich manager, Gary O’Neil added that he is “delighted” to sign Luis who he believes will bring experience and quality to their midfield.
“He is a player who brings experience of playing in the Premier League as well as other major competitions in Europe, including the Champions League, and makes us stronger in central midfield.
“He brings quality off the ball, as well as on it, and we look forward to him joining up with the squad.”
Born in Angola, Luis initially played Futsal with Tercena before he joined Real then Benfica at youth level, before he graduated through the latter’s academy to score four goals in 183 appearances following his debut in February 2019.
He however spent 2020-21 and 21-22 seasons on loan at Monaco then Getafe where he made 35 combined appearances.
During his time at Benfica, he helped them claim two Primera Liga titles plus one Taca da Liga trophy and three Supertaca Candido de Oliveira titles.
The Portuguese midfielder has also represented Portugal at youth levels but is yet to make a senior international appearance.
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