Benfica secure Geovanni signing

Loan spell
The 23-year-old forward spent the second half of last season on loan at the Portuguese club, scoring three goals in 17 games to help the Lisbon team finish second in the 1. Liga. He had agreed a second, one-year loan with Benfica in June, but has now signed a permanent, four-year contract.

Limited impact
Geovanni joined Barcelona at the start of the 2001/02 campaign from Cruzeiro EC in his homeland, where he began his career in 1997. However, he struggled to establish himself at Camp Nou, making just 26 appearances in two seasons.