Andrey Santos to Man Utd: Fresh confirmation that surprise Chelsea exit is possible

Tom Weber

• 9 Mar 2026 14:30 CDT
• 4 min read

News

A second source has confirmed that Chelsea midfielder Andrey Santos could move to Manchester United this summer.

The Brazil international has become a regular fixture for the Blues under his ex-Strasbourg boss Liam Rosenior. Santos has started four of Chelsea's last five Premier League matches, and he played the full 120 minutes against Wrexham in the FA Cup at the weekend.

A hugely promising midfielder, previously described as the "best player in the world" during his Strasbourg days, Santos looks to have a bright future ahead of him at Stamford Bridge. Or does he?

Perhaps not quite. Because of Chelsea's player trading model, the 21-year-old's future is far from certain. Unlike Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo, Santos is not considered untouchable by the club hierarchy and could be sold for a profit.

Ben Jacobs confirmed as much last week. Asked about the future of Santos, the journalist revealed that he could be offloaded in the summer if Chelsea add another midfielder. This is a distinct possibility, as they are currently being linked with Bayern Munich prodigy Aleksandar Pavlovic.

Santos to Man Utd could happen

Speaking about Santos, Jacobs specifically mentioned Man Utd as a potential landing spot. The Red Devils explored a deal for him during discussions with Chelsea over Alejandro Garnacho last year, and their interest remains.

This information has now been corroborated by Vasco da Gama insider Colina 1927 and NTVASCAINOS. The Brazilian side have a vested interest in Santos moving on, as they retained a 2.5% sell-on clause when they sold him to Chelsea for €12.5m in 2023.

Man Utd have emerged as "frontrunners" for the 21-year-old's signature, but Juventus also hold an interest. A summer move is possible because "the English club's board does not consider the Brazilian untouchable."

Santos currently has an Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of €50.1 million, meaning that Vasco would receive around €1.25m if Man Utd or another club were to pay a fee in that ballpark.

Losing Santos would be a devastating blow for Rosenior, who has waxed lyrical about the young midfielder. "Andrey, for me, is a magnificent player," he said last month. "He’s a young player who plays way beyond his years.

"He is what I would call an 'intangibles player,' where he does things in games that sometimes people don’t see. He will, for example, fill a position when the ball is nowhere near him, or he’ll make the right pass and two or three passes later, we end up with a chance.

"Andrey helps players around him become better players because he’s so selfless in the way he plays. He’s been top in the games that he’s played, and I’m really enjoying working with him again."

The nature of Chelsea's approach to the market, however, means that Rosenior could be separated from his protégé sooner than many would have expected.

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