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Müller signs for Olympique Lyon, breaking transfer records

Patrick Müller Keystone

The Swiss international football player, Patrick Müller, currently at the Zurich club, Grasshoppers, has signed with the French side Olympique Lyon for just under SFr13 million.

The price tag beats the previous record for a Swiss player by at least SFr3 million.

The versatile 23 year-old, as comfortable in midfield as defence, has a four-year contract with Lyon. The club, who finished third in the French championship, have big spending plans, with the equivalent of SFr51 million available to buy new players.

Müller has been capped by Switzerland 15 times. He started his club career at the Geneva’s FC Meyrin, before spending four seasons at the city club, Servette.

Bought by Italy’s Juventus in 1999, he never made it south of the Alps, because of a salary dispute. Grasshoppers stepped in and took over his contract from the Italians for SFr5.5 million.

Olympique Lyon’s interest in the Swiss is by no means new. They bought the international Marco Grassi two years ago.

Their squad also includes Brazil’s Sonny Anderson, last season’s top scorer in the French league, and a former Müller teammate at Servette.

swissinfo with agencies.

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