Transfer News: Chelsea have agreed to pay £17.5 million to sign young midfielder Andrey Santos
According to Brazilian outlet Globo (h/t Metro), Chelsea have reached an agreement to sign Club de Regatas Vasco da Gama midfielder Andrey Santos for £17.5 million.
The 18-year-old is regarded as one of the brightest youngsters in the country and also had interest from the likes of Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester City, Barcelona and Newcastle United.
Santos was promoted to the senior side earlier in June this year, having excelled for them at their youth levels. The report further adds that the midfielder is due to travel to west London to undergo a medical and sign his contract.
He has made 36 appearances so far in all competitions, scoring eight goals in the process. The 18-year-old has also represented Brazil at the Under-16 and is currently part of the Under-20 level.
Chelsea have been signing young players this season, indicating that they are not only thinking of the present but also about the future. The Blues bought in Cesare Casadei and Carney Chukwuemeka in the summer and have also signed young goalkeeper Gabriel Slonina from Chicago Fires.
Should everything go well, Santos is likely to be part of the development squad rather than the first team. While he has shown glimpses of his potential in Brazil, he will need some time to adjust to new surroundings and understand the work ethics at the west London club.
Generally, deployed as a defensive midfielder, he is a box-to-box player who likes to carry the ball forward and can split apart the press with one pass. This is something very similar to that of N’Golo Kante who sees his current contract expire next summer.
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It was always going to be a challenge to replace the Frenchman, but it seems that the Blues have found a young prodigy with similar traits like the 31-year-old. If the Brazilian can impress at the youth level here, he could go on to become the one who replaces Kante in the near future.