Yan was born in Alagoinhas, Bahia, and joined Vitória's youth setup in 2009, aged 11.[2] He made his first team debut on 31 October 2015, coming on as a second-half substitute for Vander in a 3–2 Série B home loss to Náutico; he also assisted Rafaelson's second goal.[3]
Yan featured in two more matches for the club during the campaign, as they achieved promotion to the Série A. He made his top tier debut on 30 June 2016, replacing Dagoberto late into a 3–2 home win over Sport Recife.
Palmeiras
In January 2017, Vitória agreed to loan Yan to Palmeiras, as a part of the deal which saw Cleiton Xavier move in the opposite direction;[4] the loan move only became official in April.[5] In April 2018, he signed a permanent deal with Verdão after the club exercised his buyout clause.[6]
Loan to Estoril
On 31 January 2019, after making no first-team appearances for Palmeiras, Yan was loaned to LigaPro side Estoril until the end of the season.[7] He made his debut for the club on 17 February, in a 1–1 away draw against Mafra.
Yan scored his first professional goal on 31 March 2019, but in a 3–1 home loss to Benfica B. He scored a further goal in 13 appearances for Estoril, as they missed out promotion after finishing third.
Loan to Sport Recife
On 10 June 2019, Yan moved on loan to Sport Recife until the end of the year.[8] After featuring regularly, his loan was renewed for a further year on 6 December,[9] but Palmeiras recalled him on 13 July 2020.[10]
Loan to Moreirense
On 16 August 2020, Yan returned to Portugal and joined Moreirense in the Primeira Liga on a three-year loan deal.[11] A regular starter, he scored six goals during the 2021–22 season but was unable to avoid the club's relegation.
In July 2022, Moreirense bought 50% of Yan's economic rights.[12]