Andrey Santos is on the verge of leaving Chelsea after three years with the club.
The 22-year-old will soon become the Blues' third sale of the summer after Marc Cucurella and Tyrique George joined Real Madrid and Everton, respectively.
Santos' impending switch to Old Trafford has progressed rapidly after the two clubs reached an agreement worth £50 million (including £2 million in add-ons) earlier in the week.
Fans have been quick to give their thoughts on whether or not the defensive midfielder's exit is good value money for Chelsea, so let's take a look at how his move compares to others in the same position.
Confirmed Premier League defensive midfielder transfers
Undoubtedly one of the most in demand positions, the midfield market has so far dominated the summer transfer window.
The Premier League has already seen four big defensive midfield deals completed, including Elliot Anderson's record-breaking £116 million move from Nottingham Forest to Manchester City.
Spurs have also acted aggressively in the opening weeks of the window, signing Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes for a combined £185 million from Newcastle United and West Ham, respectively.
Player Age To From Price
Elliot Anderson 23 Man City Nott'm Forest £116m
Sandro Tonali 26 Spurs Newcastle £100m
Mateus Fernandes 22 Spurs West Ham £85m
Hayden Hackney 24 Everton Middlesborough £24m
Everton have also spent big on their midfield after recently confirming they've signed Hayden Hackney from Middlesborough.
Consequently, as soon as Santos' £50 million move to Manchester United is officially announced, the former Vasco de Gama star will join some illustrious company.
Where Andrey Santos ranks among world's most expensive
It isn't just England's top-flight that boasts some of the sports' best defensive midfielders, though.
There is genuine quality all throughout Europe's top leagues, and Santos now finds himself inside the continent's top 10 defensive midfielders based on Transfermarkt's market value.
Player Age Club Market Value
Vitinha 26 PSG £120m
Moises Caicedo 24 Chelsea £85m
Aleksandar Pavlovic 22 Bayern Munich £77m
Ryan Gravenberch 24 Liverpool £68m
Martin Zubimendi 27 Arsenal £64m
Adam Wharton 22 Crystal Palace £60m
Aurelien Tchouameni 26 Real Madrid £60m
Andrey Santos 22 Chelsea £50m
Carlos Baleba 22 Brighton £46m
James Garner 25 Everton £38m
Paris Saint-Germain's Vitinha — following back-to-back UEFA Champions Leagues — leads the list with the Portugal international valued an eye-watering £120 million.
And although Moises Caicedo's market value is not £115 million — the fee Chelsea paid Brighton for him three years ago — the Ecuadorean is still considered Europe's second-most valuable defensive midfielder.
Based on the £50 million the Red Devils are about to pay for Santos, the Brazilian is set to become Europe's eighth-most valuable defensive midfielder, surpassing Brighton's Carlos Baleba and Everton's James Garner.
However, it is worth noting, the numbers above are only the players' market values. More often than not, selling clubs end up receiving a much higher fee.
Crystal Palace's Adam Wharton is the perfect example of this. Not only is the Englishman the same age as Santos, but if he does leave Selhurst Park this summer, there is no way he'll go for as little as £60 million. That scenario would make the Red Devils' business for Santos look even better.
And for those who don't Santos highly, although his inclusion in such an impressive list might be surprising, his age and potential has made him a very attractive option, and with Manchester United playing Champions League football next season, the Brazilian will have the chance to inflate his market value even further.
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