Newcastle were confident of £35m deal, now target is ‘close’ to Prem rivals

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Newcastle United could now miss out on £35 million-rated Vasco da Gama wonderkid Andrey Santos with Le10 Sport claiming that Premier League rivals Chelsea are now closing in on the teenager. 

Now, things might not be going to plan in the present for Graham Potter and co at Stamford Bridge. But at least the future looks bright.

In Carney Chukwuemeka, Gabriel Slonina and Cesare Casedei, Chelsea invested around £40 million in three of the game’s most exciting up-and-coming talent over the summer, and 18-year-old Andrey Santos would certainly find himself in good company in West London. 

Newcastle United could miss out on Andrey Santos to Graham Potter’s Chelsea

Per 90Min, there was a confidence at St James’ that the barnstorming Brazilian would be on his way to Tyneside. Newcastle have been in touch with Vasco da Gama for a number of months; the Saudi-backed Magpies ready to invest a fee in the region of £35 million in a player who fired his side to promotion from Brazil’s second tier with eight goals from central midfield. 

Santos, last week, opened up on his admiration for the ‘phenomenal’ Bruno Guimaraes too, amid growing speculation that the two Brazilians could unite at the heart of Eddie Howe’s V8 engine room. 

Reports suggesting that Santos is now ‘close’ to joining Chelsea instead, then, certainly represents an unwelcome turn of events. A surprising one at that. 

While Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain have been linked with Santos for much of 2022, Chelsea are a new name in the frame. Their pursuit of arguably Brazil’s most promising young midfielder appears to have gone from naught to 60 in the blink of an eye, however.

Le10 Sport say that Santos should now arrive at the Bridge, rather than at St James’ Park. Potentially as early as January. 

A blow to Newcastle’s January plans

Santos reportedly prefers Chelsea’s offer to that of PSG and co. Presumably, he’s being offered the kind of first-team opportunities that would be hardly be guaranteed at the Parc des Princes. Graham Potter, after all, boasts an impressive track record when it comes to developing young talent. 

“Physically, he is a monster,” Lyon legend and former Brazil international Juninho says of Santos. “Without the ball, his participation in the game is total. I want to see his GPS, because he doesn’t stop! And technically, he’s way above the others.     

“He’s not going to be better than me, he’s going to be much better than me. He is a much more complete player. At 18, I didn’t play half as much as he does. I’m not ashamed to say that.”