Manchester United managed to strike a swift agreement with Chelsea for Andrey Santos, and even the club’s officials were surprised by their rapid success.
This summer, the Red Devils are expected to buy three new central midfielders to join Kobbie Mainoo following Casemiro’s departure and Manuel Ugarte’s devastating ACL injury.
Ederson has long been identified as the first acquisition, albeit the final confirmation will only arrive if he passes a second medical.
On Wednesday afternoon, Man Utd practically secured the services of Andrey Santos.
Man Utd expected Chelsea to resist their initial Andrey Santos approach
As reported by The Athletic’s David Ornstein and other trusted sources in the British media, Chelsea agreed to sell the 22-year-old midfielder to Man Utd for a fixed fee of £48 million in addition to £2 million in bonuses, plus a 10% sell-on fee in case of a future resale.
According to Carrington insider Sully, United are delighted with the move, as they believe they struck gold, securing the services of a young midfielder with large room for improvement.
The reliable journalist reveals that INEOS weren’t expecting Chelsea to immediately agree to sell the player, especially for what they consider to be a bargain price.
“MUFC are very happy internally with the signing of Andrey Santos. They thought that CFC wouldn’t sell him this summer given his high ceiling, let alone for only £50M. Top scoop by
@MikeKeegan_DM,” posted Sully on his X (formerly Twitter) account.
#MUFC are very happy internally with the signing of Andrey Santos. They thought that #CFC wouldn't sell him this summer given his high ceiling, let alone for only £50M. Top scoop by @MikeKeegan_DM.
United want another midfielder alongside Santos & Ederson. Medicals soon for both
— Sully (@SullyTalkz) July 8, 2026
The Man Utd insider also confirmed Man Utd’s plans to buy a third midfielder after finalising the transfers of the Brazilian duo.
“United want another midfielder alongside Santos & Ederson. Medicals soon for both”
Is Santos truly a bargain for Man Utd?
Needless to say, the definitive answer to this question won’t arrive for at least a few months, which is the customary period for a young player to settle at a new club.
But based on the primary evidence, Santos’ asking price was probably fair, considering the inflated midfielders’ market in the Premier League. For instance, Nottingham sold Elliot Anderson to Man City for a whopping £116 million, while Mateus Fernandes moved from the relegated West Ham to Spurs for £85 million. Even Bournemouth’s Alex Scott is being valued at £80 million.
As for Santos, he has yet to showcase his full potential, as he’s been playing second fiddle to Chelsea’s midfield stalwarts Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo, but he already displayed major promise, suggesting he can become a well-rounded central midfielder.
Therefore, Michael Carrick and his technical staff have been entrusted with an important task, as they must help the young Brazilian take his game to the next level in this delicate period of his development.
Michel is a football journalist based in Beirut who has been passionately following Man United for over 20 years. He is a Law graduate and a member of the Beirut Bar Association. In addition to writing for Utd Report, he is also the Head Writer for The Laziali has been a Featured Writer on other websites including Juve FC, and The Cult of Calcio, and Stretty News.
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