Fabrizio Romano has given an update on Andrey Santos’ future and shared what happened when Porto tried to sign him permanently from Chelsea.
Santos is having a phenomenal season at Chelsea‘s sister club Strasbourg, where he is currently playing his football.
In 30 appearances, Santos has scored 10 goals. It is a return that the 20-year-old can be very happy with given that he is a midfielder.
Santos has caught the attention of AC Milan and other clubs as a result, but Chelsea look determined to keep hold of him.
- READ MORE: Enzo Maresca makes Andrey Santos claim after Chelsea youngster’s excellent season at Strasbourg
Andrey Santos set to be an option for Enzo Maresca next season
While the likes of Milan and Bayern Munich are interested in Santos, Chelsea are likely to reject any offers for him this summer.
According to Romano, the Brazilian is firmly in Enzo Maresca‘s plans, while the Blues already rebuffed Porto when they tried to sign him permanently in the past.
Speaking about Santos’ situation on GiveMeSport’s Market Madness, the transfer expert said: “When they received important approaches, for example, I remember Porto. Porto a year ago were prepared to pay a big transfer fee to sign Andrey Santos on a permanent deal, to let Chelsea also have an important sell-on clause to have a future financial control of the player. Chelsea said no.
“Chelsea wanted to keep the player, send him on loan to Strasbourg and that was the clear idea. So at the moment, the clear indication I’m getting is that Andrey Santos will be one of the midfielders for Enzo Maresca next season.”
Romano has also spoken about Chelsea’s interest in Ipswich Town’s Liam Delap. If everything goes to plan, then Delap and Santos could be teammates at Stamford Bridge next term.
Romano has claimed that Delap wants to stay in the Premier League. With both Chelsea and Manchester United keen, the 22-year-old should get that option.
As for Santos, with Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez likely to be ahead of him in the pecking order next season, it would not be a surprise if clubs still tried to test the waters and make a bid for the Brazil international.
How badly Porto wanted to sign Andrey Santos
Porto have actually asked about Santos on more than one occasion, which is understandable.
He is a young midfielder with so much talent and potential, showing that at Strasbourg this season. It will now be interesting to see whether Chelsea can keep him happy.
Again, with Caicedo and Fernandez around, he is not going to walk into the starting XI. If Santos becomes unsatisfied with his game time, perhaps a move to Porto could happen in the future.
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