
Chelsea
Premier League • England
Chelsea ready to sanction unpopular sale of dazzling midfielder in shock move

Chelsea are prepared to sell Andrey Santos in the summer
Chelsea are not planning to recall Andrey Santos from his impressive loan with Strasbourg and are actually considering selling him at the end of the season, TEAMtalk understands.
The 20-year-old has been very impressive in France this season and that has led to some supporters calling for him to be brought back into the fold at Stamford Bridge.
However, sources state that this is unlikely to happen as Chelsea are happy to see Santos getting minutes, which are aiding his development and driving up his value.
There was hope when Santos joined Chelsea in January 2023 that he would go straight into the first team but that hasn’t been the case and he has been out on loan with Vasco de Gama, Nottingham Forest and Chelsea’s sister club, Strasbourg, since.
TEAMtalk sources are now suggesting that Santos could be sold at the end of this season by Chelsea to help fund moves for new additions in the summer, despite his undeniable potential.
Santos wouldn’t be the first talent bought by Chelsea and sold for a profit. Trevoh Chalobah is a perfect example, as despite his recall from Crystal Palace, we understand he will be available for £40million in the summer.
Santos could face a similar outcome and despite Chelsea actively looking to strengthen their options in midfield he won’t be the man to bolster Enzo Maresca’s ranks.
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Andrey Santos is generating interest from Europe’s elite
Some Chelsea supporters have thrown questions at the board regarding their transfer planning. Despite the Blues’ strong start to the season they are still at risk of missing out on a Champions League qualification spot.
The London side are looking to strengthen this window with a new defender, midfielder, winger and forward on their wish list.
As we reported earlier today (Wednesday), Chelsea have been offered the chance to sign Juventus star Douglas Luiz this month.
The former Aston Villa man is available for a fee in the region of £45million, despite only joining Juventus for a similar price just six months ago.
Manchester City and Arsenal are also admirers of Luiz but they are not actively pursuing a deal for him at this stage, so Chelsea have a window of opportunity to sign the Brazilian.
With Santos’ long-term future with Chelsea in doubt, sources have stated that the Blues would want to at least recoup the £18.5million they spent to sign him, if they decide to sell.
There will be no shortage of interest in the youngster should he become available for transfer, with several European giants monitoring his situation.
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Meanwhile, Tottenham are reportedly considering a move for Chelsea centre-back Tosin Adarabioyo as Ange Postecoglou looks to add to his options at the back.
Chelsea are reluctant to allow Tosin to leave this month but could consider a sizeable bid for the defender, with other Premier League clubs also understood to be interested.
Chelsea signed Tosin on a free transfer after the 27-year-old’s contract with Fulham expired, so if they do sell him the fee would go down as pure profit on the account books.
In other news, Chelsea are firmly in the race for Manchester United winger Alejandro Garnacho and are considering offering a player as a makeweight in the deal.
However, Antonio Conte has spoken with Garnacho and offered assurances that he will be a key player if he joins Napoli, who have already submitted one bid for the 20-year-old.
Garnacho’s dream is to play for Real Madrid in the future and Napoli have said they are willing to offer him a platform to achieve this, while a switch to Chelsea wouldn’t necessarily give him the guaranteed playing time he’s looking for.
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TIMELINE: Andrey Santos’ troubled time at Chelsea
January 2023: Chelsea announce the signing of Andrey Santos, aged 18 at the time, from Vasco da Gama.
February 2023: Santos is denied a work permit, falling just one point short of the criteria because of Chelsea’s other signings.
March 2023: Vasco da Gama re-sign Santos on a three-month loan deal.
July 2023: Santos finally receives a UK work permit and plays for Chelsea in pre-season.
August 2023: Chelsea send Santos on loan to fellow Premier League side Nottingham Forest for the season.
January 2024: Chelsea recall Santos from Nottingham Forest due to a lack of gametime (just two appearances) and send him to sister club Strasbourg instead.
August 2024: With Santos still yet to make his competitive Chelsea debut, Strasbourg renew his loan deal for another season.