Manchester United interested in Chelsea star- Source:Getty
Manchester United interested in Chelsea star- Source:Getty
Manchester United are reportedly eyeing a move for Chelsea midfielder Andrey Santos who has missed out on a place in Brazil's FIFA World Cup squad. As reported by The Guardian, the Red Devils are keen on the Brazil international after missing out on their two primary targets.
Michael Carrick's side targeted both Elliot Anderson and Mateus Fernandes this summer and failed to sign either of the two. The former has signed for Manchester City in a reported £116 million deal, while the latter has secured a reported £85 million move to Tottenham Hotspur.
Following Casemiro's departure upon his contract expiry, Manchester United are currently short in depth in the middle of the park. They have signed Ederson from Atalanta in a reported £35 million deal but desperately need at least one more midfielder.
Andrey Santos joined Chelsea in January 2023 from Vasco da Cama in a reported £18 million deal. Following two loan spells with Nottingham Forest and Strasbourg, he has been a part of the Blue's first team since 2025.
The 22-year-old made 43 appearances across competitions for Chelsea last season but is behind Moises Caicedo in the pecking order. The Blues could be open to selling the midfield dynamo for around £50 million. Santos has been capped six times for Brazil so far but missed out on a spot in Carlo Ancelotti's 26-man Brazil squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Manchester United star says he wanted to seal exit before FIFA World Cup started
Manchester United attacker Marcus Rashford has claimed that he wanted to secure his exit from the club before the commencement of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The England international went out of favour at Old Trafford in late 2024 due to disciplinary issues under then-manager Ruben Amorim.
After publicly asking for a 'new challenge', the Premier League giants loaned him out to Aston Villa for the second half of the season. Despite impressing at Villa Park with four goals and six assists in 17 games, Barcelona loaned him in for the 2025-26 season.
The 28-year-old did quite well at Camp Nou scoring 14 goals and providing 14 assists in 49 appearances. However, Barcelona opted against triggering their option to sign him permanently for just £26 million and signed his England teammate Anthony Gordon on a reported £69.3 million deal.
The forward is now destined to return to Manchester United at the end of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. He has admitted that he wanted to decide his future before the FIFA World Cup but now he will only consider his future after the tournament. He said:
"As a person, I live in the moment. I was very clear with everyone involved before the World Cup. I wanted it done before, and if not, then I won't deal with it until after that. I want to fully be present in this moment. At the same time we're fighting for something. I don't have energy to be putting into other things."
Rashford has scored one goal in two starts and two appearances from the bench in the 2026 FIFA World Cup.