Manchester United has a deal in place for Chelsea midfielder Andrey Santos, and that’s just the start of what looks like a full-scale midfield rebuild at Old Trafford.
The move, first reported by David Ornstein of The Athletic, will cost United an initial £48 million with another £2 million in add-ons that are considered easily achievable. Chelsea also negotiated a 10 percent sell-on clause. Santos, 22, is expected to undergo his medical shortly before an official announcement.
United turned to Santos after striking out on their top targets earlier this window. Elliot Anderson went to Manchester City. Mateus Fernandes chose Tottenham. That left the club scrambling a bit, but they moved fast once Chelsea made Santos available.
This isn’t a one-and-done deal
According to The Guardian, United is planning to bring in a third midfielder this summer. Manager Carrick reportedly wants someone with more established pedigree to round out the group. Two names keep coming up: Bournemouth’s Alex Scott and Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton. Either one would cost at least £80 million.
Bournemouth has publicly said Scott isn’t for sale. The English midfielder has turned down multiple contract extensions, though, which suggests he might be keeping his options open. United has been linked with Wharton for a while now. The Palace man, who won the Europa Conference League, has been called a generational talent by scouts. He’s calm on the ball, technically sharp, and Liverpool has also been sniffing around.
Santos will be United’s second midfield signing this window. They already shook hands with Atalanta on a deal for Ederson last month, though his medical is still pending. That’s about £70 million committed to two players before they even start negotiating for a third.
What Santos actually brings
Santos spent last season on loan at Strasbourg, where he showed flashes of the box-to-box ability that made Chelsea sign him from Vasco da Gama in the first place. He’s physical, comfortable under pressure, and has a knack for arriving late in the box. At 22, he fits the profile United has been targeting under this recruitment staff — young, proven in Europe, and likely to hold resale value.
Still, spending nearly £50 million on a player Chelsea barely used feels like a gamble. But that’s the market right now. Midfielders with Santos’s profile don’t come cheap, especially when you’ve already missed on your top targets.
It’ll be interesting to see which direction United goes for that third signing. Scott or Wharton would represent a different kind of investment — more proven, more expensive, and a clear statement of intent. Or maybe they pivot entirely. The next few weeks should tell us a lot about how this rebuild is really shaping up.
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