Barcelona scouts were left devastated after Chelsea beat them to signing ‘indispensable’ player

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Barcelona got the better of Chelsea in the 2022 summer transfer window, landing a couple of their key targets.

Chelsea were interested in signing Raphinha and Jules Kounde, but both players ended up at Barcelona instead.

Chelsea are now being linked with Kounde again, but it is unlikely that the defender will want to leave this summer after a successful season under Hansi Flick.

The Blues were at least able to win the race for one of the most exciting young players in football right now.

• READ MORE: Andrey Santos left heartbroken despite scoring crucial goal in final game before returning to Chelsea

Barcelona scouts disappointed they missed out on Andrey Santos

Chelsea signed Andrey Santos from Brazilian club Vasco da Gama in 2023, and the 21-year-old has developed into a really capable midfielder since then.

Santos has had a stunning 2024/25 season, showing Barcelona what they have missed out on.

According to Sport, Barcelona also looked at Santos before his move to Chelsea and there is a “sadness” within the club’s scouting department after failing to capture him.

In 32 Ligue 1 appearances, Santos scored 10 goals. As per FBref, he also finished the campaign with 110 tackles to his name, the most in the division.

All in all, the Brazil international has proven that he is a midfielder capable of attacking and defending. You can hardly blame Barcelona for having regrets over missing out on him.

On Ligue 1’s official website, Santos has been described as “indispensable” to Strasbourg.

Todd Boehly excited about Andrey Santos

If any clubs are hoping to sign Santos this summer, then they can probably forget about it. Arsenal are thought to be keen on Santos, but Chelsea owner Todd Boehly has suggested that he will be part of Enzo Maresca‘s first-team squad next season.

Boehly named-checked Santos in a recent interview, saying: “We’re going to the Club World Cup, so we are laser focused on the Club World Cup. We have some players that are joining us that weren’t on the team — Andrey Santos, we’re really excited about him and what he can add to the squad.”

Of course, Santos needs to break into the Chelsea team before anyone gets to see what he is capable of achieving under Maresca. And that is not going to be easy when he has to compete against Moises Caicedo, Enzo Fernandez and Romeo Lavia for a spot in the starting XI.