Andrey Santos: Manchester United agree £50m deal for Chelsea and Brazil midfielder
Man Utd agree £50m deal to sign Chelsea midfielder Andrey Santos; deal features £48m guaranteed payment and £2m in add-ons, plus a 10 per cent sell-on clause; Santos is preparing to undergo a medical with Michael Carrick's side
Wednesday 8 July 2026 19:22, UK
Manchester United have agreed a £50m deal to sign Chelsea midfielder Andrey Santos.
The agreement is broken up into a guaranteed £48m payment plus £2m in add-ons. Chelsea will also retain a 10 per cent sell-on clause.
Santos is now preparing to undergo a medical with Man Utd.
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The Brazil international joined Chelsea from Vasco da Gama and has since played on loan at Nottingham Forest and at Chelsea's sister club Strasbourg.
Santos featured in 43 matches for Chelsea in all competitions last season, scoring three goals and contributing four assists.
Manchester United are also expected to complete a move for Brazil midfielder Ederson, who looks set to move to Old Trafford from Serie A side Atalanta.
Strengthening the midfield has been a priority for United this summer after the departure of Casemiro following the expiry of his contract and the long-term injury sustained by Manuel Ugarte while playing for Uruguay at the World Cup.
What other positions are Man Utd targeting?
Crysencio Summerville remains the No 1 target on the left wing, despite the club prioritising midfield this summer.
United have held initial, exploratory talks with West Ham over a deal for the Netherlands international but they are not the only Premier League club interested.
His future is expected to be clarified in the coming weeks after Netherlands were knocked out of the World Cup by Morocco.
United ideally want to sign him using funds from the sale of Marcus Rashford, who is set to return to Old Trafford once his post-World Cup break is finished.
Depending on how far England go into the tournament, that could be well into August.
Tottenham are also in the running for Summerville and United are very aware they could lose out to Spurs on another priority signing if they do not move quickly, having previously seen midfield target Mateus Fernandes opt to move to north London from West Ham this summer.
There is also still a chance Rashford stays as a squad player under Carrick.
The pursuit of Newcastle left-back Lewis Hall is on hold until they have recruited more midfielders.
Amorim apologises to Man Utd fans
Ruben Amorim has apologised to Manchester United fans, breaking his silence on his time in the Premier League for the first time since his Old Trafford sacking.
The new AC Milan boss was dismissed in January following 14 months at Old Trafford, where he oversaw the club's worst Premier League finish and a Europa League final loss to Tottenham.
Amorim's sacking came after a fiery press conference where he appeared to take a jab at his Old Trafford bosses after a 1-1 draw at Leeds.
Speaking in his first press conference as Milan boss, Amorim apologised for not addressing United fans sooner, saying: "The only thing I can say is that I learned a lot and I made some mistakes.
"I didn't have the opportunity - and I am sorry for that - to say something to the Manchester United fans at the moment.
"I am really proud to have been their coach for a year."
