BERLIN, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- Bundesliga club VfL Wolfsburg announced on Wednesday that it has signed Brazilian defender Cleiton Santana dos Santos from Flamengo, with the transfer to take effect on January 1, 2026. Cleiton has agreed a deal through June 30, 2030.

Cleiton joined Flamengo's renowned youth academy at U-20 level in 2020 and made his professional debut for the nine-time Brazilian champion in January 2022. The 1.94-meter-tall defender made seven appearances in Brazil's top flight.

Wolfsburg will be Cleiton's first club outside his home country.

"Cleiton combines physical presence with good game intelligence," said VfL sporting director Peter Christiansen. "He is a left-footed, modern central defender with great development potential. The signing is also a result of the very good work of our scouting department. We trust Cleiton to work his way up to the level of the Bundesliga step by step and to take on an important role in our defense in the future."

"The move to VfL Wolfsburg is a big step in my career. The Bundesliga is one of the strongest leagues in the world, and I want to learn and develop here every day. I'm very grateful for the club's trust and look forward to being on the pitch in a Wolfsburg jersey soon," Cleiton said. ■