Luan hits back, rejects loans and says he'll leave only if released | OneFootball

Annoyed by São Paulo’s delay in finalizing a mutual termination of his contract, defensive midfielder Luan has been rejecting loan offers that have come in for him at the Morumbi club.

According to what AVANTE MEU TRICOLOR learned from sources close to the midfielder, the 27-year-old player and his entourage have decided that the goal is to secure a long-term permanent deal with a new team, rather than merely accept short-term loans until the end of his current contract with São Paulo, which runs through the end of the year.

The outlet UOL reported this Friday (14) that Luan turned down an approach from Sport, which wanted him until the end of the Série B campaign.

“The report makes it seem as though Luan is comfortable with the situation. That is not true. São Paulo stopped discussing the contract termination in order to present and push this loan deal,” said one of the sources consulted by the report, who requested anonymity.

One point raised by the outlet that Luan’s entourage admits is correct is the inquiry made by Gamba Osaka, from Japan. But it did not develop into an offer. “São Paulo asked for things in exchange for the release of a player who is not in their plans, when the discussion was about releasing him,” the source added.

A month ago, AVANTE MEU TRICOLOR revealed that, tired of waiting for São Paulo to define his future, Luan began talks through his entourage to mutually terminate his contract.

Out of coach Dorival Júnior’s plans for the rest of the season, the player was already at that time training at alternative hours, apart from the main squad at the Barra Funda training center.

The amicable departure process was aligned with the football department’s squad overhaul and wage-bill reduction plan for the second half of the year. But the talks were interrupted.

Developed in São Paulo’s youth ranks, Luan was promoted to the first team as a highly regarded prospect and accumulated 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, when he scored in the final against rivals Palmeiras and helped end the club’s nine-year title drought.

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

Under Dorival, for example, that was exactly the case. The player was even a starter in the coach’s first matches during his last 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. Then in 2025, the plan was to transfer him, but the player got a new lease on life with the return of Hernán Crespo, an outspoken admirer of his football, to the head coach position. Since the Argentine’s controversial dismissal in the first quarter of the year, Luan has received only limited opportunities, more because of injuries in the squad than because of genuine trust in his game.

Luan’s decision to terminate his deal with São Paulo stems from the fact that potential suitors have pulled out of negotiations because of the club’s demand to retain part of his rights in order to authorize his release.

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

The report learned that in order to secure an early release, Luan is willing to give up money the club still owes him, 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.