Manchester United Pursue Chelsea's Andrey Santos Amid Midfield Rebuild

Manchester United’s summer has started with more questions than answers. No new faces through the door, an agreement in place for Ederson from Atalanta but stuck in limbo over a late medical request, and a glaring Casemiro‑shaped hole still sitting in the middle of the pitch.

Behind the scenes, though, the wheels are turning. And one of the names moving steadily up the Old Trafford agenda is Andrey Santos.

United reopen dialogue over Santos

According to Fabrizio Romano, United have gone back in for the Chelsea midfielder, sounding out his camp over a possible move in the last few days.

“Man Utd already a few months ago were considering Andrey Santos,” Romano said on his YouTube show. “He’s always been on shortlist. What happened in the last two or three days is that Manchester United made contact again with the agent of the player.

“So, Manchester United made a call to the agents of Andrey Santos to understand his situation. At the moment, as of this week, Manchester United have not gone back to Chelsea with an official bid or official proposal. So, we have to talk about the contract on the player side.”

That is where it sits for now: dialogue with the player’s side, no formal offer to Chelsea. But the more intriguing part of Romano’s update lies in how Chelsea view the Brazilian.

Chelsea open the door – at a price

Romano reports that Chelsea do not see Santos as “untouchable”. In a squad stacked with high‑priced midfielders, that matters.

“But what I can add to this story,” he continued, “is that Chelsea don’t consider Andrey Santos untouchable, so if Manchester United arrive and put good money on the table, Man Utd can sign Andrey Santos, because Chelsea don’t consider him untouchable, and there is the possibility of an exit in the summer in case of the arrival of a good proposal.

“Obviously, not for normal money, not for cheap money, forget about loans or this kind of stuff, but in case of good proposal, there is a chance for him (Santos) to leave for a new chapter at Manchester United or anywhere else.”

No loans. No cut‑price deals. A clean sale or nothing. That stance instantly pushes Santos into the £50 million‑plus bracket, with Chelsea well placed to bank a huge profit on a player they signed for around £10m as a youngster.

For United, who still need to replace Casemiro and strengthen other areas of the squad, that’s a significant call to make in a summer already complicated by World Cup scheduling and a slow market.

A midfielder built for both sides of the ball

What would they be paying for? A 22‑year‑old who has had to live in the shadow of Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo, but whose underlying profile screams long‑term starter rather than squad filler.

Santos has made 28 Premier League appearances so far, and his loan spell at Strasbourg in 2024 helped sharpen the picture of what he actually brings. A scouting report from ScoutingStats after that stint highlighted a midfielder with a rare mix of timing, aggression and composure in both boxes.

“One of Santos’s standout attributes is his remarkable goal-scoring ability for a midfielder. His 100th percentile rating in goal threat highlights his knack for getting into scoring positions and converting chances effectively,” the report noted.

For a club still searching for a true box‑to‑box presence, those numbers jump off the page. This is not a sideways passer or a pure destroyer. He arrives late, he carries a threat, and he finishes.

The defensive side of his game stacks up as well. The same report added: “Santos’s high percentile ratings in both ball recovery and retention indicate his knack for reclaiming possession and maintaining it under pressure. His 94th percentile in ball recovery reflects his ability to disrupt opposition play, ensuring that his defensive contributions are as consistent as his offensive ones. These strengths, combined with his effectiveness in retaining possession, make him a balanced, box-to-box midfielder who can dominate both sides of the pitch.”

In other words, the kind of all‑court midfielder United have been missing since Casemiro’s form dipped and age began to tell.

United’s midfield crossroads

Michael Carrick and the recruitment team know the stakes. United cannot afford another season of patchwork solutions in the middle of the park. The Ederson deal is meant to be one part of that reset, yet it remains on hold. The search for Casemiro’s successor continues. Supporters are watching the days tick by, waiting for intent to turn into signatures.

Santos represents a different type of bet: younger, mouldable, with the statistical profile of a modern Premier League engine. Chelsea’s willingness to talk, for the right money, drags him into the heart of United’s planning.

Now the question hangs over Old Trafford: do they push hard for a 22‑year‑old built to dominate both sides of the game, or let another potential cornerstone of their next midfield era slip to “anywhere else”?