Andrey Santos: Chelsea respond as Man United plot “ambitious” swoop for midfield star | OneFootball

Chelsea have reportedly made their transfer stance crystal clear as Manchester United contemplate a move for midfield star Andrey Santos.

United looking to bolster the midfield

United’s efforts during the summer transfer window were primarily geared towards reinforcing the attacking department after a goal-shy 2024/25 campaign in which regularly scoring goals proved to be a difficult task.

The club spent north of £200m on three new forwards: Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko. The Red Devils also secured the signing of goalkeeper Senne Lammens from Royal Antwerp on deadline day.

Lammens’ arrival came at the expense of United snapping up a midfielder. However, it’s believed plans are already underway to address this position, potentially as soon as the winter window.

Some of the midfielders United continued to be linked to include Carlos Baleba (Brighton and Hove Albion), Adam Wharton (Crystal Palace), Elliott Anderson (Nottingham Forest), Angelo Stiller (Stuttgart) and Conor Gallagher (Atletico Madrid).

According to talkSPORT, Santos is another midfielder United are keeping close tabs on ahead of 2026.

United want Santos

talkSPORT reveal that Santos is an “ambitious” target for the Red Devils.

This is not the first time United have discussed Santos. He came under consideration during talks to offload Alejandro Garnacho to the Blues as part of a potential swap deal. A transfer didn’t materialise.

Alex Crook and Ben Jacobs contend, “Chelsea’s position is clear: Santos is simply not for sale. Saudi club Al-Qadsiah were also informed of this over the summer when they made a formal approach for the 21-year-old.”

“Santos was somewhat open to listening to options in the early part of the summer, with Bayern Munich another club to express an interest.”

“But he was always going to give priority to Chelsea to assess how much game time would be afforded to him, and enough has come to satisfy the midfielder.”

The report adds that United will remain alive to the situation in the event that Santos becomes available.

Feature image Eddie Keogh via Getty Images

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