Barcelona could make an offer to sign Vasco da Gama’s teenage midfield prospect Andrey Santos, whose release clause is valued at €30 million.
According to a report by Spanish publication SPORT, Andrey Santos is the subject of interest from Barcelona. The Catalan giants are considering offering €7 million to sign the 17-year-old Brazilian midfield prospect, although the release clause in his contract with Vasco da Gama stands at €30 million.
Andrey Santos has made quite a splash in age-group football in Brazil with some consistent performances in recent years. As a defensive midfielder, the teenage prodigy does not stand out easily, but his reading of the game is a quality that has impressed onlookers greatly.
Widely regarded as one of the most promising young midfield prospects in South America, the 17-year-old has represented Brazil at different age-group levels and is believed to be on the cusp of making the grade in the first-team setup at Vasco da Gama. So it is hardly surprising that the young Brazilian’s performances have captured the attention of one of the biggest clubs in Europe, with Barcelona keen on signing him.
The Catalan giants are renowned for looking for prodigious youngsters in Europe and beyond. Such an outlook has helped Barcelona capture many legendary players over the years, with Pedri, Gavi and Nico Gonzalez some of their current first-team stars to benefit from their youth-centric policy.
Endrick, who has the world at his feet at the moment, is one of the Brazilian prodigies to have been linked with Barcelona in recent weeks. And it looks like Barcelona could be set for an extended stay in Brazil to seek another wonderkid, with Deco identifying Andrey Santos as a possible signing for the youth setup at the club.
The former Portuguese international represented Barcelona at the peak of his playing days and is now in charge of scouting the most precocious talents in the South American market. Andrey Santos has now emerged on Barcelona’s radar, with the Blaugrana even prepared to shell out €7 million to snap him up.
But the 17-year-old prospect has a release clause in his contract with Vasco da Gama, with its valuation being €30 million. It is unclear whether the Brazilian club will ask Barcelona to trigger the €30 million buyout clause or accept the €7 million offer.
With Sergio Busquets approaching the end of his career and targets like Marcelo Brozovic unlikely to arrive in the summer, signing Andrey Santos could enable Barcelona to bring in a long-term successor for their captain relatively cheaply before fast-tracking him to the first-team setup like Gavi and Nico Gonzalez this season.
