Chelsea could have found themselves a new midfield gem with the imminent signing of Vasco da Gama teenager Andrey Santos. The teenager is expected to join the Blues in the new year on a long-term deal.
He is one part of a major plan to stabilise the club for the future and was a big target for Newcastle, Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona but Todd Boehly's Chelsea idea appears to have come out on top.
Santos has caught the attention for his club side and is expected to complete a £13m deal which could rise to upwards of £20m with add-ons in 2023. It comes at a time that Benfica star Enzo Fernandez is all the rage after winning the World Cup and coming onto the radar of Chelsea.
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His release clause is a massive £105m but that hasn't stopped Graham Potter's side from doing their best to get a deal done. It promises to be one of the biggest stories to follow in the January window. If the 21-year-old does sign, then the plan will be for him to eventually play alongside Santos.
The 18-year-old has high hopes for his career too and styled himself on some of the best current midfielders in the Premier League.
He said: "I really like Casemiro, Bruno Guimaraes and Thiago Alcantara. These guys are phenomenal, I mirror them a lot. It is clear that football in Europe is much more advanced than here in Brazil and every boy has the dream of playing in Europe. But I am calm about that."
The Blues have been missing a presence in front of their defence and require a figure in the mould of Casemiro to help ease the burden on their backline. Declan Rice has become the go-to answer for that but Guimaraes is a name that has cropped up as a potential addition.
If Chelsea can tie Santos down and develop him at SW6 it then their hope will be to create their own midfield general in the mould of one if his idols.
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