Edmilson joins Barcelona

Brazilian defender Edmilson signed a four-year contract with Barcelona on Thursday to complete his move from Olympique Lyon.

"It's the realisation of a dream," the 28-year-old said at his presentation. "As a boy I dreamed about playing with the national team and with a big club and, thanks be to God, I've now achieved that."

Barcelona are paying a reported fee of between eight and 10 million euros ($9.6-$12 million) for Edmilson, who was a regular in Brazil's World Cup winning campaign in 2002.

Edmilson is the seventh Barcelona signing for the forthcoming season and the fourth to hail from Brazil, following defenders Silvinho and Juliano Belletti and playmaker Deco, who is now a Portuguese international after gaining citizenship.

The quartet will join countrymen Ronaldinho and Thiago Motta in a squad with a marked Brazilian influence.

The non-Brazilian signings are Dutch defender Giovanni van Bronckhorst, who has now completed his transfer from Arsenal after playing last season on loan, Swedish striker Henrik Larsson and French midfielder Ludovic Giuly.