Chelsea and Manchester United have agreed to a deal worth up to £50 million for the signing of Brazilian midfielder Andrey Santos.
After United increased their interest over the weekend, the trade picked up speed in the last few hours. The team will pay £48 million up front, plus an additional £2 million in feasible add-ons. As part of the deal, Chelsea has also obtained a 10% sell-on clause.
Santos may now proceed with a medical examination prior to finalizing the transfer to Old Trafford.
In addition, United is getting ready to welcome fellow Brazilian Ederson, who is scheduled to undergo a medical before to his anticipated £35 million transfer from Italian team Atalanta following Brazil’s World Cup elimination.
The two moves are made as United’s senior team returns for preseason training on Thursday. The team is keen to bolster a midfield unit that has been increasingly problematic.
After Casemiro left at the conclusion of his contract, one of United’s primary priorities became finding a center midfield player. After Manuel Ugarte sustained cruciate knee ligament damage and was out for a considerable amount of time, the situation got more urgent.
Before deciding on Santos, United considered a number of choices. Elliot Anderson of Nottingham Forest was too costly to acquire, with the asking price surpassing £110 million.
Mateus Fernandes, a midfielder for West Ham, was another target for the team, but Tottenham won the race with a guaranteed £85 million deal.
Mason Mount was Michael Carrick’s lone senior central midfielder, and United risked starting their preseason schedule against Wrexham in Helsinki on July 18 while Kobbie Mainoo was still away on World Cup duty with England.
After Tyrique George’s transfer to Everton and Marc Cucurella’s move to Real Madrid, Santos is anticipated to be Chelsea’s third significant summer departure.
