Doha: Al-Duhail Sports Club has announced picking up Brazilian defender Lucas Silva Melo, nicknamed "Tuta," from the German club Eintracht Frankfurt. A statement by Al-Duhail highlighted that Melo would join the first team squad starting from the upcoming season, although the contract duration was not specified.

According to Qatar News Agency, the 26-year-old Melo plays as a central defender and has experience from his professional career with the Brazilian club So Paulo before moving to the German Bundesliga with Eintracht Frankfurt. He was later loaned to the Belgian club Kortrijk prior to his transfer announcement to Al-Duhail.

Al-Duhail has secured a series of deals recently to strengthen its team for the upcoming season. The club has signed a range of prominent players including the Italian Marco Verratti, the Cameroonian Jean-Charles Castelletto, the Polish Krzysztof Piatek, the Algerian Adil Boulbina, and the Senegalese Youssouf Sabaly.

The club is aiming for remarkable results in the upcoming season to improve on the past season in which it did not secure any titles, finishing second in the Qatar Stars League standings with 50 points, just two points behind the champions Al-Sadd.