Chelsea ‘close to signing Andrey Santos after Brazilian prodigy joins Man City and Newcastle’

CHELSEA are reportedly close to signing Andrey Santos from Vasco da Gama.

The Brazilian prodigy has made 37 senior appearances for the Rio de Janeiro side.

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Santos plays in midfield and has already made a name for himself for the Brazil U20 side.

He also has an eye for goal, having scored eight times in the Campeonato Brasileiro Serie B.

According to Athletic, Chelsea are in the process of finalizing the deal to bring the 18-year-old to Stamford Bridge for an undisclosed fee.

The report also says the Blues will have beaten Premier League rivals for his signature.

Both Manchester City and Newcastle are credited with being interested in the youngster but it’s believed he has opted for a move to west London instead.

Santos would become the latest rising star to be bought by Chelsea since the new regime was installed.

Aston Villa’s Carney Chukwuemeka, Inter Milan’s Cesare Casadei, Chicago Fire’s Gabriel Slonina and Arsenal’s Omari Hutchinson are other players who have joined as the club builds for the future.

Manager Graham Potter is used to this type of transfer from his time at ex-club Brighton.

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During his time at the south coast, the England manager saw several talents arrive and eventually find their way into the first-team.

Most notable is midfielder and Ecuador World Cup star Moises Caicedo, who has also been linked with a move to Chelsea.