Rivals claim Man Utd paid £25m too much for Andrey Santos as Wilcox faces scrutiny

Manchester United’s summer recruitment is under fresh scrutiny after sources close to Chelsea suggested the club overpaid by £25m for midfielder Andrey Santos, who joined Old Trafford in July as part of a three-man midfield overhaul.

Santos, 22, arrived alongside Youri Tielemans and Carlos Baleba ahead of the 2026/27 season, with United director of football Jason Wilcox overseeing all three deals. According to The Athletic, people close to Chelsea believe Santos was worth no more than £25m — half the £50m United agreed to pay — making it, in their view, an excellent piece of business for the selling club.

The Brazilian had made only 47 senior appearances for Chelsea since joining from Vasco da Gama in January 2023, and struggled to hold down a regular place in United’s midfield until an injury to Kobbie Mainoo opened the door. Even then, he has looked uncomfortable in the role.

Tielemans, signed for £35m fresh from a strong season at Aston Villa, initially appeared a bargain but has endured a difficult start at Old Trafford. Baleba’s £70m fee drew the sharpest criticism given a mixed final campaign at Brighton, and the Cameroonian has since picked up a hamstring injury. Manager Michael Carrick confirmed after Baleba was helped off in training: “I haven’t got any more news on Carlos at this stage, but it’s his hamstring. We’ll have to assess what…”

Not everyone inside the club is ready to write off Wilcox’s window, however. One United source involved in recruitment defended the director of football, saying: “Jason is cool-headed, very smart and pays close attention to details.”

The context matters too. United were unable to compete financially with rivals for the summer’s marquee midfield targets. Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes both moved to Tottenham for a combined £185m, while Elliot Anderson’s switch from Nottingham Forest to Manchester City set a new English player transfer record at £116m — a mark that stood only until Morgan Rogers joined Chelsea. With those options priced out of reach, United opted for volume over a single high-profile signing, a strategy shaped in part by their return to the Champions League.

Mainoo remains Carrick’s first-choice central midfielder and is expected to partner Santos when United face Aston Villa on Sunday. The early evidence suggests that a Mainoo-Tielemans pairing does not work, leaving the manager with limited options as Baleba’s availability remains uncertain.