THESSALONIKI, Greece — American forward Freddy Adu is joining the Greek club Aris on an 18-month loan deal from Benfica.

The club announced the deal Wednesday but did not disclose financial details.

The 20-year-old Adu was seen as an emerging star as a teenager, but has failed to establish himself at Benfica and was loaned in September to the smaller Portuguese club Belenenses.

The Ghana-born soccer player commented on the deal on his Twitter feed, saying that "a lot of thought and research went into this."

Aris is currently in fourth place in the Greek league with 25 points. Panathinaikos leads with 38 points, followed by Olympiakos with 36.