La Liga heavyweights Barcelona have reportedly fallen behind Chelsea in the race to sign 18-year-old Brazilian midfield sensation Andrey Santos.
According to a report by Spanish publication Mundo Deportivo, Barcelona will have a mountain to climb in the race to sign Andrey Santos. The Catalan giants are trailing Chelsea in the race to sign the 18-year-old Vasco da Gama midfield sensation.
Andrey Santos is one of the brightest young prospects in Brazil, making his mark in the past decade at Vasco da Gama. The Brazilian prodigy is still in his teens but has been one of the most promising performers in age-group football in his homeland. And the teenage whizkid is already a regular for the Vasco da Gama first-team squad.
The 18-year-old featured prominently as Vasco da Gama secured promotion to Serie A in Brazil. Santos made 36 appearances across all competitions for his team, scoring eight goals. And the youngster’s progress has not gone unnoticed, with Chelsea and Barcelona being his prospective suitors.
The Brazilian midfield sensation has been on Barcelona’s radar for much of 2022. But the Blaugrana recently stepped up the efforts to sign Santos amid uncertainties surrounding Sergio Busquets’s future. The Barcelona captain is approaching the end of his career and might depart from Spotify Camp Nou next summer.
Andrey Santos – Welcome to Chelsea ?
— Nav (@USFComps) November 29, 2022
Andrey Santos has thus emerged as a viable target for Barcelona. And he can initially share game time before becoming the first-choice holding midfielder for the Catalan outfit. But Barcelona will have to overcome the Chelsea obstacle to land the 18-year-old, with the Blues ahead of them in the race to sign the youngster.
The west Londoners are in talks to sign the teenage wonderkid. And with N’Golo Kante and Jorginho in the final year of their respective contracts, Chelsea will need to bring in a replacement. Santos is thus an option worth considering. And as per the report, they are the likeliest club to land the 18-year-old Brazilian midfield sensation.
It will be interesting to see if Barcelona can do anything to usurp Chelsea in the chase for Andrey Santos. Meanwhile, with clubs like Newcastle United, Manchester City, and Real Madrid also showing interest, the player’s next destination might not be a foregone conclusion.
