Everton are reportedly set to rival Chelsea and Newcastle in the race to sign Brazilian youngster Andrey Santos from Vasco da Gama.
According to reporter Lucas Pedrosa (via his official Twitter account), Everton are among the clubs that are in ‘frequent contact’ with Brazilian outfit Vasco da Gama to ask about the availability of Brazilian teen sensation Andrey Santos.
The 18-year-old defensive midfielder currently plies his trade with Vasco da Gama, but many expect him to move to Europe in the summer, in light of his blazing performances in the Brazilian second tier. Despite his tender age, he was instrumental in his club’s promotion to the top flight during the 2022 season, which finished in November, scoring eight goals in 33 appearances.
Likened to Spain and Barcelona great Sergio Busquets for his classy and mature style of play, he has caught the attention of onlookers with his snappy tackling, press resistance, and ability to screen the defence. Add to that his clinical nature in front of goal; he is a jack-of-all-trades and, with time, has the ceiling to master them all.
Indeed, his rapid rise in Brazilian football means he has become a hot property in the market. And as Endrick’s recent big-money move to Real Madrid suggests, there is no shortage of suitors willing to pay big bucks for these Brazilian whizkids. And Santos certainly falls into that category, with cash-rich Newcastle United, Everton, and Chelsea all queueing up to bring the teenager to the Premier League.
Chelsea, for one, have emphasised recruiting young, up-and-coming talents across the globe since Todd Boehly took over as co-owner of the club, as he plans to beef up the Blues academy with players of world-class potential in order to build Chelsea’s squad in the long term. Cesare Casadei, Gabriel Slonina, and former Aston Villa wonderkid Carney Chukwuemeka have already been through the door since last summer.
They were strongly linked with Endrick before he moved to Real Madrid and are currently keeping close tabs on the situation with Borussia Dortmund striker Youssoufa Moukoko. Andrey Santos is another name firmly on their radar, with the midfield being one of the weaker areas of Graham Potter’s squad.
Newcastle, meanwhile, have lofty ambitions these days. As a result, they are not only battling for ready-made first-team talent but also the best wonderkids on the planet, with talent finder and sporting director Dan Ashworth pulling the strings behind the scenes at the club.
The former Brighton man brought the likes of Moises Caicedo and Alexis MacAllister to the Amex, and the duo recently shone at the World Cup as breakout stars, with the latter even establishing himself as a regular in Argentina’s first-team. The Magpies hold a long-standing interest in Santos and would do well to scoop him up sooner rather than later, with the list of his suitors only increasing.
Everton have also joined the race for the Vasco da Gama youngster in recent days. Amadou Onana and Alex Iwobi have been fantastic, but Idrissa Gana Gueye has been erratic, and not getting any younger at 33 years old.
His age implies he hasn’t got much left on his tank, and a long-term fix like Santos would suffice if the Toffees’ can engineer a move under the noses of the big guns.
