Andrey Santos FAILS UK visa requirements

Stuart Telford

• 22 Dec 2022 09:26 GMT
• 3 min read

Chelsea have beaten Barcelona and Newcastle in the race for Andrey Santos, but they might not be able to register the Brazilian youngster to play…

Santos, 18, has been attracting the attention of some of Europe's biggest clubs after scoring eight goals in 33 games for Vasco da Gama, from defensive midfield, in 2022.

Barca had tagged Santos to be their long-term successor to Sergio Busquets, while Newcastle wanted him as part of an all-Brazilian midfield alongside Bruno Guimaraes and Joelinton, but the Blues are now set to complete his €20 million transfer.

READ: Who is Andrey Santos? Chelsea have wonderkid in their sights

But Santos might not be able to make his Premier League debut anytime soon, with the Rio de Janeiro-born youngster falling foul of the UK's new points-based immigration system.

Foreign players an qualify for a VISA automatically If they have a sufficient number of senior international appearances for their country, but for Santos, who is only capped up to under-20 level, other parameters come into play.

Points system

Domestic and continental minutes are considered, as are the player's previous and current club. Santos has played 82 per cent of the available minutes for Vasco over the last 12 months, but with the four-time Brazilian champions currently playing in the second tier, that doesn't count for much.

READ: Nkunku and five players Vivell could help Chelsea sign

Santos scored just 3/65 per the calculator provided by TransferRoom, with a score of 15 or above needed to qualify.

However, Chelsea can apply for an exemption, per the FA's official documentation: "If the Player is a Youth Player, the Club can evidence that the Youth Player shows significant

potential and is of sufficient quality to enhance the development of the game in England."

A Brazilian youth international with a goal every four games from defensive midfield, one scouted as a replacement for a Barca club legend, can surely be put forward as such a player, though, and the Blues might not need to worry this time.