One Chelsea star has attracted some interest from a Saudi Arabian club during these final hours of the transfer window.
Chelsea sold Joao Felix to Al-Nassr earlier in the summer, while it was reported towards the end of last season that they were also interested in Moises Caicedo.
Al-Nassr identified Caicedo as a target going into this transfer window, but the midfielder remains a key player for the Blues.
Chelsea also rate Andrey Santos very highly and will not be selling the Brazilian either.
Andrey Santos and Chelsea reject Al-Qadsiah’s offer
Santos has not started in any of Chelsea’s Premier League fixtures so far, but the Club World Cup winners are desperate to keep hold of him.
According to journalist Eduardo Burgos, Saudi Arabian side Al-Qadsiah have made a €50m (£43.2m) offer for Santos but it has not been accepted.
The 21-year-old has said no to Al-Qadsiah and is viewed as an “important part of the team” at Chelsea, so there are no plans to sell him on deadline day.
Santos will be pushing Enzo Fernandez for a starting spot this season, so the Argentine will have to raise his game a bit.
He disappointed in the first half of Chelsea’s 2-0 win against Fulham over the weekend. When Enzo Maresca discussed Fernandez’s first-half display, he claimed that it was “not good enough”.
Enzo Maresca thinks Andrey Santos is unique
Maresca is a big fan of Santos. It is thought that Maresca sees something different in Santos compared to his other midfielders.
Having the likes of Santos, Fernandez and Caicedo to call upon makes midfield arguably the strongest area of Chelsea’s squad.
The Conference League holders also have Romeo Lavia and Dario Essugo, so they really do have a lot of quality in the middle of the park.
Of course, Chelsea need Lavia to stay fit, which he has struggled to do since arriving at the club from Southampton in 2023. The Belgian is currently out injured but could be back after the international break.
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