Andrey Santos tipped to become ‘cornerstone of Brazil’ after £50million Man United deal agreed

Andrey Santos can become the cornerstone of future Brazil sides after Manchester United reached a £50million agreement to sign him from Chelsea.

talkSPORT understands the Red Devils will pay £48m plus £2m in achievable add-ons to land the Brazilian midfielder, who will sign a five-year deal with an option to a further year.

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Newcastle were also understood to be keen on Chelsea’s No.17, who now has permission to undergo a medical.

Santos was omitted from Carlo Ancelotti‘s final 26-man squad following his struggles during his first full season at Chelsea.

The 22-year-old arrived at Stamford Bridge from Brazilian outfit Vasco da Gama in January 2023 but has only been a bit-part player.

His debut came during the Blues’ Club World Cup triumph last summer, but he made only 13 Premier League starts last season.

Nearly half of those came under his former Strasbourg manager Liam Rosenior, during the latter’s four-month tenure at the Chelsea helm.

In defence of Santos

talkSPORT’s European football expert Andy Brassell said: “Andrey Santos was too tied to the Liam Rosenior era at Chelsea to survive at Stamford Bridge, but this doesn’t mean that it wouldn’t be a great signing for another Premier League club.

“Now, Andrey Santos arrived back at Chelsea after his loan at Strasbourg, and Liam Rosenior always lamented this.

“He sat around in press conferences before and after games at Strasbourg going, ‘Oh, we could really do with a player like Andrey Santos.’ What he meant is we could really do with Andrey Santos, because the minute the Brazilian went, he left a huge hole in the middle of the Strasbourg team.

“Now, we think of him primarily as a defensive midfielder, and he does all that good stuff that you want a defensive midfielder to do.

“He makes his tackles, he makes his passes as well, very, very rarely gives the ball away. So a very modern defensive midfielder, but not just a defensive midfielder.

“In that season at Strasbourg, before he went back to Stamford Bridge, 10 league goals, which is a really, really good effort as well.
So more of an all-roundness to him.”

‘Cornerstone of this Brazil team’

“Because of the way it hasn’t gone for Brazil in this World Cup, his development over the next couple of years is really in Carlo Ancelotti’s, presumably, and the Brazilian national team’s interest as well.

“Casemiro is not the athlete he once was, I think it’s fair to say, even though he had a great back end of last season with Manchester United.

“Andrey Santos, only 22 years old, really good at covering ground, and Brazil are really short in midfield.

“So if he can get this next move right, and of course, a heck of a lot of midfield competition at Chelsea and more to come, perhaps, he can make himself a cornerstone of this Brazil team.”

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Why didn’t it work at Forest?

Santos had an ill-fated season-long loan at Nottingham Forest in August 2023.

But after making his debut against Burnley in the Carabao Cup days after his arrival, he played just seven more minutes – in a 3-0 defeat to Liverpool – before Chelsea recalled him in January.

Santos later claimed that his lack of game time at the Reds was ‘the coach’s choice’, with Steve Cooper sacked just before Christmas.

Brassell added: “Now, it’s funny, I think straight away, Nottingham Forest, despite the fact he went there, it didn’t work out, and he left what seemed like five minutes later.

“I think that would be an interesting move for him. There are a lot of different Premier League clubs where he would work actually.

“And I wonder if even in a different context, without the players that they have at the moment, and a big question mark over Rodri’s future, he would even work at, say, a Manchester City.

“I certainly think he’s got the level to aspire to that sort of club going forward. I think he would be an interesting back-up for Arsenal.

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“If they’re looking for a way to allow Declan Rice to play on the front foot a little bit more to release him from his defensive responsibilities, because I really do feel that Andrey Santos, with time, is going to have the level to play at one of the very best clubs in Europe.

“Whether that’s realistic, I think, is a question, because at the moment, he’s proven himself in Ligue 1; he hasn’t proven himself in the Premier League.”

Brassell added: “But wherever he goes, Andrey Santos, I just hope he gets an opportunity to play every week or almost every week so he can prove for himself and for Brazil just how good he is.”