Chelsea have “advised” West Ham to “abandon their pursuit” of midfielder Andrey Santos, according to SPT Rio reporter Vene Casagrande.
The journalist claims that the Hammers have had a £45m offer “rejected” for the 21-year-old, and they have been told that the player is not for sale this summer.
Santos was signed by Chelsea from Vasco da Gama in the summer of 2023, but he has only played 4 times for the Blues. All of those appearances came at the Club World Cup.
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The Brazilian international has spent most of the last two years out on loan, having played for both Nottingham Forest and Strasbourg.
Why were West Ham willing to pay so much for Santos?
Head coach Graham Potter is keen to strengthen his options in the middle of the park, and the midfielder caught the eye with his performances in France last season.
Santos scored 11 goals and contributed 5 assists in 34 appearances for Strasbourg, having also captained the Ligue One side on several occasions, despite his young age.
He is most comfortable as a box-to-box player. As well as being good in the final third of the pitch, he also enjoys making tackles and sticking his foot in.
The search for a midfielder goes on
It’s fair to say that the Irons’ search for reinforcements in midfield has not gone well this summer. The London club have failed to secure the services of Jacob Ramsey, who is set to join Newcastle. Talks with Liverpool about a deal for Harvey Elliott collapsed, while a £30m bid for Southampton’s Mateus Fernandes was knocked back.
Other midfielders, including Roma’s Lorenzo Pellegrini and Bayer Leverkusen’s Aleix Garcia, have been linked, but Potter’s team appear to be no closer to strengthening a key position.
In other news, a West Ham Under 21 coach has likened one of his players to Patrick Vieira