STUTTGART GAINING INTEREST IN BRAZILIAN MIDFIELDER
[Galatasaray midfielder, Lincoln, could be returning to the Bundesliga after a year in Turkey]
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STUTTGART, Germany - Only a year removed from Germany, Brazilian midfieder, Lincoln, could be returning to the Bundesliga. Lincoln, who began his European career with Kaiserslauten in 2001, before departing for Schalke in 2004. After three seasons in Gelsenkirchen, he moved east to join Turkish champions Galatasaray.
Recent reports have linked Stuttgart with the 29 year old Brazilian, who reportedly have a growing interest in Lincoln. While playing with Schalke, he firmly established himself as one of the Bundesliga's greatest playmakers, just as he did in Turkey, as Galatasaray went onto win the league. Lincoln's ability to use both feet, his pinpoint free kicks, and technical ability made him heavily celebrated by fans from around Germany, as well as Brazil, where he played for Atletico Mineiro for four years.
In Schalke's 2004/05 DFB-Pokal triumph, Lincoln was one of the main leaders of the charge, and eventually went on to be named the Player of the Year in the Bundesliga. In three seasons at the Veltins Arena, Lincoln scored twenty goals in a total of eighty-three matches. In 2006, prior to his departure, Kicker Magazin, named Lincoln as one of the Bundesliga's top five players
When asked about a possible return to Germany, Lincoln had this to say: "I'd love to return to Germany, I had the best years of my career there, but I don't really have a choice. It's all up to Galatasaray, if they think an offer is high enough, I think they'd let me leave. I really have no say in the situation."
If Markus Babbel and Stuttgart to indeed decide to persue the German playmaking midfielder, the deal is believed to be worth approximately €2-3.5 million. With the departure ofYıldıray Baştürk to CSKA Moscow in exchange for Yuri Zhirkov and Vagner Love, Stuttgart are lacking depth at the attacking midfielder position. Lincoln would be an experienced, cheap alternative to a younger, more expensive player who's performance will be unknown. However, Lincoln has already proved that he can have success in the Bundesliga, so don't be surprised if Lincoln does end up in a Stuttgart shirt towards the end of the week.