RIO DE JANEIRO, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- Peru international midfielder Christian Cueva has joined Santos on loan from Russia's Krasnodar, the Brazilian club said on Thursday.

The agreement includes a commitment by Santos to make the deal permanent next January, the club announced in a Twitter post.

Cueva made 15 league appearances for Krasnodar after joining the Russian Premier League outfit from Sao Paulo in July last year.

The 27-year-old trained with Santos for the first time on Thursday and is expected to make his debut for the club against Mirassol in the Paulista championship on Saturday.

Santos, who are managed by former Chile and Argentina head coach Jorge Sampaoli, finished 10th in last year's Brazilian Serie A standings. The eight-time top-flight champions have not won a first division title since 2004.