Chelsea and Brazilian club Vasco da Gama have reached a full agreement for young midfielder Andrey Santos, according to Fabrizio Romano.
Having already signed Carney Chukwuemeka and Cesare Casadei from Aston Villa and Inter Milan, respectively, in the summer, the Blues are reportedly close to signing another top midfield talent.
This time, it is 18-year-old Brazilian wunderkind, Santos.
Romano claims that Chelsea had to beat off competition from two other Premier League clubs for the player and are very close to the finish line.
“Newcastle were working on this deal and Manchester City also tried to sign this player and had followed him for a long time,” the Italian journalist explained about the transfer race for Santos on his YouTube channel.
“But then Chelsea, after meeting his agent and family, convinced Santos about their future project, and [the player] said yes.
“There is a full agreement on personal terms and between clubs now.
“Chelsea will pay around €20million (£17.6m) to Vasco da Gama for Andrey Santos.”
It remains unclear, however, whether Santos would join Chelsea in January or at the end of the season.
Romano added that Santos is very keen on taking part in the 2023 U-20 Sudamericana (South American U-20 championship) in Colombia which takes place in January and February.
“But the deal is in place with Chelsea, and we can say ‘Here we go’.”
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