Chelsea are prepared to entertain offers for Andrey Santos this summer, and Manchester United are interested in the midfielder. The move is not advanced, but the basic frame is clear enough: Chelsea have a price in mind, United need midfield options, and Santos is on the market if the numbers work.
Chelsea's valuation of Santos
Chelsea signed Santos from Vasco da Gama for £18million in 2023. He has still ended up with a proper body of work at Stamford Bridge this season, featuring 43 times across all competitions in the 2025/26 campaign and starting 25 of those games.
That does not make him untouchable. Chelsea value him at £50m, which is the real obstacle here. A player can have regular minutes and still be available, but once the asking price rises that high, interest stops being a casual link and turns into a calculation about what a club is willing to pay for a midfielder who is already established at Chelsea.
United's interest and Santos's role
United's own situation keeps the link alive. They have taken 4 wins and 1 draw from their last 5 Premier League matches, so this is not a side scrambling just to patch holes after a collapse. It is a club still looking to add quality in midfield, and Santos fits that kind of search.
His recent usage also makes the Chelsea side of the story easier to understand. Santos has started 4 of his last 5 Chelsea matches and averaged 7.1 across those five appearances. That is not the profile of a fringe player who has been left behind, but it is also not the kind of role that makes a £50m sale look especially complicated if Chelsea decide to listen.
For now, the position remains simple. Chelsea are open to offers, United are interested, and the valuation is what decides whether this becomes a serious move. The next step is whether anyone is willing to go near the £50m figure before the market settles.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 2 outlets. How we work →