The rumours linking Newcastle United to Grêmio forward Luan never got very far.
Started in England, the story didn’t find much echo in Brazil, especially after the player claimed he wasn’t contacted by the Premier League side.
But it turns out negotiations have indeed taken place, at least according to Brazilian outlet UOL today.
They say Newcastle approached the player a few days before the end of the January transfer window, but were unable to reach a personal agreement with him.
UOL claims the Magpies first contacted Grêmio, offering a loan deal with an obligatory buying clause at the end of the season. The Brazilian club allowed Newcastle to speak to Luan while they thought about the offer figures.
Th problem is Newcastle couldn’t reach a deal with the player. UOL claims there was no ‘financial agreement’, so Grêmio didn’t even have to talk about the offer again.
This is a strange situation, because the English football economy is obviously much more powerful than the Brazilian. Even though Luan has a brand new contract at Grêmio, he certainly doesn’t make more than £45k a week, so Newcastle could certainly increase that.
Now let’s see if they can make a stronger approach in the summer.
