At the request of coach Marcelo Oliveira, the Cruzeiro board have been trying to secure the signing of a defender ahead of the new season.
The first player that the board tried was Luisão, currently of Benfica, but the 2013 Brasileirão champions were unable to strike a deal with the Portuguese club.
The president of the Minas Gerais club, Gilvan Tavares, confirmed that negotiations started with the Brazilian but that the deal soon hit a major stumbling block. “Luisão talked to our director and said he wanted to return but Benfica refused outright to negotiate. For this reason we gave up,” he said.
Luisão has played for Benfica since 2003 and is a fans’ idol at the Lisbon club. The player, 32, is not considered for sale and the club has turned down other offers for the player.
The experienced defender previously played for Cruzeiro between 2000 and 2003. He has 42 international caps to his name and scored for Brazil in the 2004 Copa América final against Argentina.
