Chelsea star confirms he's snubbing surprise £50m Arsenal transfer in statement

Daily Mirror

2 days ago

Chelsea sent Andrey Santos out on loan to sister club Strasbourg and could reap the benefits in the summer transfer window after the Brazilian midfielder performed brilliantly
Andrey Santos says he only has eyes for Chelsea after his sparkling form on loan at Strasbourg attracted attention from Arsenal. Santos is yet to make a single competitive appearance for Chelsea, but is already turning the heads of scouts thanks to a productive loan spell at the Blues' French sister club.
The 21-year-old midfielder racked up 11 goals and five assists in 34 appearances in all competitions for Strasbourg in 2024/25. He was signed by Chelsea for £13million back in January 2023 from Brazilian side Vasco da Gama, but is still waiting for his first-team debut – something that has now been thrown into further doubt.
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Santos initially failed to get a work permit with Chelsea and was then loaned out to Nottingham Forest and Strasbourg to get game time. He has responded well, even captaining the French side on occasions, and there have been suggestions that Chelsea could cash in by selling the Brazilian for £50m, without him ever playing for the club.
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It was reported earlier this season that Arsenal were 'working hard' to sign Santos, while French giants Paris Saint-Germain are also interested. But Chelsea co-owner Todd Boehly has talked up Santos' potential ahead of possible involvement at the Club World Cup this summer, and the player himself is keen to have a shot at success with his parent club.
'Everyone knows about my love, my desire to play for Chelsea. Enzo Maresca was very sincere with me. I went to Strasbourg to get minutes. Now we'll see how it goes at the Club World Cup,' he told the Daily Mail.
'The affection from Chelsea fans is something very special as well. Ever since the news broke that I was going to Chelsea, they started sending me a lot of messages. Back when I was at Vasco, too. And I had the spell at Nottingham, where I didn't play, but they sent me messages there too, I'd see some posts, they'd tag me on Instagram and Twitter.'
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He appears to have the backing of Boehly, who has hinted that Santos would play at the upcoming Club World Cup. 'We are laser focused on the Club World Cup,' he said. 'We have some players that are joining us [like] Andrey Santos. We are really excited about him and what he can add to the squad.'
HAVE YOUR SAY! Can Andrey Santos break into the Chelsea team next season? Comment below.
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However, Chelsea manager Maresca has sounded a more cautious note, knowing that he already has Moises Caicedo, Romeo Lavia, Enzo Fernandez and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall in central midfield, among others. 'Now, we know that Andrey is doing well,' he said earlier this season.
'But in this moment, we are just focused about how we finish this season. And then when we finish this season, we're going to start to think about next season.'