Lucic lands Bayer move

The 30-year-old was on loan at the Premiership club from AIK Solna, but the Yorkshire outfit decided against making the move permanent.

Solna were looking for a fee in the region of £600,000 for the experienced defender, but Leeds chose not to take up the option after the player fell out of favour after the arrival of new manager Peter Reid.

Lucic has now signed a two-year deal with the Germans, who will pay around £300,000 for the stopper, and could not hide his delight at the move.

"It feels great," he said. "They're a huge club who've had a miserable season, and I'm really looking forward to playing a part in their revival."

Leverkusen only secured their Bundesliga status at the weekend with a narrow 1-0 victory over Nurnberg.