Juninho in Qatar for transfer talks

Lyon's long-serving Brazilian playmaker Juninho arrived in Qatar for talks about a transfer to Al-Garrafa, the Doha club said yesterday.

Recruiting the Brazilian to play in Qatar will cost the club about 2.5 million euros, a record in the Gulf state's championship, sources at the club said, but no details were available about the length of Juninho's contract.

The 34-year-old scored 100 goals for the French club and was the inspiration behind Lyon's seven titles, including last year's domestic double, since joining from Vasco da Gama in 2001.

When he announced he was leaving Lyon at the end of last season, the club described it as the end of an era.

The 44-times capped Brazilian reached three Champions League quarter-finals with Lyon and was their leading scorer in the competition with 18 goals.

Historically the Qatar championship has been a retirement location for a number of high-profile footballers, including Brazilian Romario, the Argentine Gabriel Batistuta and Frenchmen Marcel Desailly and Frank Leboeuf.

On Monday, Juninho's agent Jose Fuentes suggested his client was also considering playing in Italy, following reported interest expressed by Lazio and Genoa.