Gremio Fernando on the verge of joining Shakhtar Donetsk

Shakhtar Donetsk have reportedly secured the services Gremio midfielder Fernando for £11.05 million.

The Ukrainian side have outbid Serie A giants Napoli, who were also interested in signing the player, but decided to switch to other targets because of large transfer fee. Fernando has initially been keen on moving to Italy, but Shakhtar offered him offer he could not resist.

The 21-year-old came through the ranks of Gremio youth academy before signing his first senior contract in 2010. He made in excess of 70 first-team appearances before deciding the time has come to move on.

Gremio president Fabio Koff admitted: “We received a message from Napoli informing us that they had no interest in the player, so we finalised the transfer.”