End of an era: tired of waiting, Luan seeks São Paulo exit | OneFootball

Tired of waiting for a club willing to sign him under the conditions imposed by São Paulo (a free release provided the club retains part of his rights), defensive midfielder Luan, 27, has begun talks through his staff to amicably terminate his contract with Tricolor, which runs until the end of the year.

Out of coach Dorival Júnior’s plans for the remainder of the season, the player had already been training at alternative times, apart from the main squad at CT da Barra Funda.

The amicable departure process is in line with the squad overhaul and wage bill reduction plan being carried out by the club’s football department for the second half of the year.

A product of São Paulo’s youth academy, Luan was promoted to the senior squad as a highly rated prospect and racked up important achievements throughout his time at the club. He was a key figure in a recent historic moment for Tricolor: winning the 2021 Campeonato Paulista, where he scored a goal in the final against rivals Palmeiras and helped end the club’s nine-year trophy drought.

In recent years, however, the midfielder lost space in the first team due to a string of serious injuries, physical inconsistency, and constant changes in the coaching staff.

Under Dorival, for example, the situation was exactly that. The player was even a starter in the coach’s first matches during his most recent spell in 2023, but physical problems eventually made him a player who was no longer in the plans.

The following year, the defensive midfielder was loaned to Vitória. In 2025, the plan was to negotiate his departure, but the player was given a lifeline with the return of Hernán Crespo, an outspoken admirer of his game, to the managerial role. Since the Argentine’s controversial dismissal in the first quarter, Luan has had only scarce opportunities, more because of injury problems in the squad than necessarily due to confidence in his football.

Luan’s decision to terminate his deal with São Paulo stems from the fact that potential clubs interested in him pulled away from negotiations because of Tricolor’s demand to retain part of his rights in order to authorize his release.

As AVANTE MEU TRICOLOR reported in June, Chapecoense made an initial approach to inquire about the terms of a deal, while Remo and Juventude are also monitoring the player’s situation.

The report found that, in order to secure an early release, Luan is willing to waive money still owed to him by the club, such as overdue wages, signing bonuses, and performance bonuses.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.