Manchester United close in on £50m Andrey Santos signing as Chelsea exit confirmed

Manchester United are on the verge of completing the signing of Andrey Santos from Chelsea in a deal worth up to £50million, with the 22-year-old Brazilian midfielder granted permission to travel to Manchester for a medical.

The agreement is structured as an initial £48million fee with a further £2million in add-ons, and includes a sell-on clause negotiated between the two clubs. Santos would become United’s first signing under permanent manager Michael Carrick, with Atalanta’s Ederson also lined up for a move to Old Trafford following a separate £38.8million package agreed earlier in the window.

Santos made 43 appearances across all competitions for Chelsea last season, but consistent first-team minutes proved elusive at Stamford Bridge. Former Chelsea midfielder Joe Cole pointed to a straightforward reason why the move makes sense for all parties.

“The unfortunate thing for Andrey is that the two positions he can play for Chelsea are taken by Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez,” Cole said. “He’s probably behind Romeo Lavia in the pecking order when he’s fit too. So it’s been very difficult for him to break in, but he’s been brilliant whenever he did play.”

Cole was equally clear about why United represent a better fit, citing the departure of Casemiro as the key factor. “He’ll definitely get more game time at Manchester United with Casemiro out of the picture now,” he added. “He’s a very, very good player with massive promise. I’m not surprised there were a few clubs in for him.”

Cole stopped short of drawing direct comparisons with established midfield talents, noting that Santos is “not a Tonali at the moment, but he could improve into it,” while describing the deal as “a real good signing” for United despite his personal hope that the player would remain at Chelsea.

With the medical under way and the final contractual details expected to be concluded shortly, Santos is poised to begin a new chapter at Old Trafford as United move quickly to reshape their midfield options this summer.