January signing Andrey Santos has hinted at his imminent Chelsea involvement, despite uncertainty over his work permit.
A recent report from Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano suggested that Chelsea are confident that they could secure a work permit for the young midfielder.
The club are also said to be hoping Santos’ performance in Sudamericano Sub-20, in which he captained Brazil to the first-place finish and was named the player of the tournament, would help his case.
The decision, however, is out of Chelsea’s hands, and there have been rumours of a contingency plan to send the player back to Brazil on loan until the end of the season.
While a short loan is not the end of the world, Chelsea’s priority is reportedly to integrate the talented midfielder into their first team as soon as possible, and it is clearly Santos’ plan, too.
“Now it’s focus on the Blues,” the 18-year-old wrote on Twitter after Brazil secured the win in the Sudamericano Sub-20.
At the moment, Chelsea are pretty well-covered in midfield following the arrival of Enzo Fernandez as well as a couple of expected injury returns.
Bear in mind that Chelsea already have young midfielders waiting for more opportunities in their current first team, such as Carney Chukwuemeka and Lewis Hall.
That said, the addition of a goalscoring midfield talent is always welcome.
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