Chelsea send wonderkid to Porto in SURPRISE twist

Tom Weber

• Updated: 5 Jul 2023 15:58 BST
• 3 min read

Chelsea youngster Andrey Santos is set to join Porto on loan, with Portuguese media even claiming that the Blues may let him leave permanently.

The 19-year-old joined Chelsea as part of Todd Boehly's €600 million spending spree that saw a host of fresh faces arrive at Stamford Bridge. Like many of those new arrivals, Santos failed to have an impact in London - through no fault of his own.

Work permit issues meant that the Brazilian youngster couldn't line up for Chelsea and instead remained with Vasco da Gama on loan. Chelsea parted with €12.5 million to land the midfielder in January, but it appears unlikely that the newly-minted senior Brazil international will feature for the Blues next season.

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Portuguese outlet Record claims that Santos is on the verge of joining Porto on loan, who are looking for a replacement for Qatar-bound Mateus Uribe. More intriguingly, the report claims that an option to buy could be included in the deal, which would be surprising, to say the least.

When Santos arrived at Stamford Bridge, he signed a deal until 2030 and it was thought that he could even be utilised by Mauricio Pochettino as early as next season. This report, if true, casts doubt on whether the Brazilian is part of Chelsea's long-term planning.

Chelsea's raid South America

Fabrizio Romano, however, has urged caution. The Blues have not yet made a decision on Santos' future, he claims. Nevertheless, he has also stated that Chelsea are trying to hoover up South American talent with a view to potentially selling some of those players on at a profit in the future.

If Chelsea have managed to negotiate a favourable buy option for Santos, then it shouldn't necessarily be as surprising that they would be open to moving him on as it seems at first glance.

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Since Santos was signed in January, Ecuadorian wonderkid Kendry Paez has also been announced as a new Chelsea player. Santos star Angelo Gabriel and Flamengo's Matheus Franca are expected to be the Blues' next young South American recruits.