Brazilian midfielder Artur’s future with Columbus Crew SC is in a similar position to where it was six weeks ago — to be determined.

An article published Wednesday by Brazilian outlet UOL examined Sao Paulo FC’s options at defensive midfielder and included a paragraph on Artur that indicated it is unclear whether Sao Paulo will use him next year but that a return to Crew SC has been “ruled out.”

Artur, 21, is on a season-long loan from Sao Paulo FC to Crew SC, which has the option to buy, or make Artur’s transfer permanent, after the term of the loan agreement is up. The transfer fee is not known but is a set amount that in theory could be negotiated.

Asked last month about Artur’s status with Crew SC beyond this season, Crew coach and sporting director Gregg Berhalter said the club would “hopefully” be able to keep Artur in Columbus, but hedged that thought with, “You just never know. It’s a business.”

On Thursday, Berhalter pushed back some on the wording of the report and said, “I’m not ruling anything out.”

“I have no idea,” Berhalter told The Dispatch, asked if the report was in line with his thinking. “I don’t think it’s completely unrealistic that he returns (to Crew SC), but again there’s going to be a discussion and a dialogue with (Sao Paulo).”

At the moment, Crew SC remains in the same position with respect to Artur that it was in early last month and it’s a holding pattern that could extend into the offseason.

“TBD,” Berhalter said.

Artur has appeared in 22 matches for Crew SC this season, starting 17. When healthy, his ground cover and speed have been right up there with the top central midfielders in MLS. He missed close to a month with a hamstring injury but has come off the bench in each of the Crew’s last two games.

His talents have drawn interest from a few clubs in Europe, a source told The Dispatch last month, but nothing concrete as he is under contract with the Crew.

“I hope that that gets resolved, but mostly I’m just trying to think about how to help Columbus until the end of the season,” Artur said last month with respect to his playing situation in 2018. “I always talk to my family, talk to my agents before I make a decision, then we’ll make a decision.”

Sao Paulo FC, one of the biggest clubs in Brazil, is currently in a fight to avoid relegation from Brazil’s Serie A. Through 25 matches, the club is 17th among Serie A’s 20 teams with 28 points and a 7-11-7 record.

Injury update

Left back Waylon Francis (left thigh strain) was again “limited minus” in training Thursday, Berhalter said, but could progress as early as next week.

“He joined the team in some stuff and he’s working his way back,” Berhalter said. “I expect next week for him to be full (training).”

aerickson@dispatch.com

@AEricksonCD