Chelsea draw up Andrey Santos transfer plan for 2025

Tom Weber

• Updated: 29 Nov 2024 04:50 CST
• 3 min read

Chelsea have earmarked Andrey Santos for a place in Enzo Maresca's squad next season, according to a report.

The Brazilian is once again impressing at RC Strasbourg. Santos spent a brief period on loan in Alsace after the January window and impressed in limited minutes following his lengthy international duty in Brazil for Olympic preparations.

The midfielder returned to Chelsea's Ligue 1 affiliate in the summer after some confusion about his future at Stamford Bridge. One week he was set to be part of Enzo Maresca's side, the next he was available for transfer.

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Ultimately, he re-joined Strasbourg on a one-season loan and is again proving how comfortable he feels in that particular part of France. Santos even captained the side at the weekend in the absence of Habib Diarra.

“He was great," coach Liam Rosenior said after the match against Nice. "He constantly shows professionalism every day in his work, he constantly wants to improve and constantly trains at 100 per cent.

"There were other players that had a worthy cause to be captain but I felt that Andrey was the right choice. I felt that he didn’t do the armband any disservice at all.”

Santos finally set for Chelsea role

The 20-year-old's performances have, of course, not gone unnoticed at his parent club. According to The Athletic, Santos has been earmarked for a place in Chelsea's squad from 2025/26 onward.

The Blues are well-stocked in central midfield with the likes of Moises Caicedo, Romeo Lavia, Cesare Casadei and Enzo Fernandez, among others, but it seems that they feel Santos can contribute and get minutes.

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Of course, it is still very early and this situation could yet change, but this news could provide further incentive for the Brazil international to keep performing at the highest level.

Santos finally appears to have found his feet in Europe after a horrendous first loan spell away from Chelsea in the first half of last season. The youngster only played 97 minutes of football at Nottingham Forest but is now an integral cog in the BlueCo network.