Newcastle United hold talks to sign Andrey Santos

Newcastle United have reportedly held discussions with over a potential move for teenage Brazilian midfield sensation Andrey Santos next year.

According to iNews, Newcastle United have initiated discussions over a potential move for Vasco da Gama’s €30 million-rated midfielder, Andrey Santos.

The 18-year-old Brazilian prodigy is a highly-coveted central defensive midfielder. And Santos has attracted interest from multiple European giants since making his senior breakthrough with the Brazilian Serie B outfit.

After being promoted from the youth academy at Vasco da Gama, Santos has become the club’s youngest debutant. He has played 28 matches for Vasco’s senior side at the tender age of 18, scoring seven goals, an incredible output since he is a holding midfielder. Santos has also featured six times for Brazil at youth level.

Indeed, a host of top European clubs are monitoring his progress, including Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain. But Newcastle have already laid the groundwork and are reported to have even placed a bid for him in recent months.

Newcastle United have had a remarkable start to the new season as they are currently 5th in the Premier League table with 14 points after nine games. Their latest success was the annihilation of Brentford 5-1 at St. James’ Park on Saturday. They have done very well so far in terms of recruiting new players and assigning them to Eddie Howe, who wants to play an attractive style of football.  One of Newcastle’s most notable signings since their takeover has been Bruno Guimaraes.

The Brazilian playmaker arrived from Lyon to shore up the defensive side of things and bring more control of the ball. However, as it turns out, Bruno is much more than that and a deadly weapon in the attacking third with his ability to slice open deep defences with the quality and precision of his final balls, combination play, deft flicks, and line-breaking passes. What’s more, he can score crucial goals as well.

This might have given Howe some food for thought. And Newcastle have been chasing after a defensive midfielder since then, to shift Guimaraes into a more free role; be it Ajax’s Edson Alvarez or Leicester City’s Youri Tielemans. Another player on their radar is Vasco da Gama’s Andrey Santos.

The Brazilian prodigy adds to the notion of Newcastle’s long-term planning for future success. And the Magpies have already landed 18-year-old Garang Kuol ahead of some European heavyweights.

Compared to Sergio Busquets, Santos is a press-resistant midfielder, known for his passing ability, impeccable close control and technical skills on the ball. But he also has the aggression, much similar to that of Casemiro, and does not shy away from a snappy tackle. The only issue for Newcastle is that the midfielder has agreed a contract renewal lasting until 2027 with his current club, which will perhaps inflate his selling price.

Santos is likely to have a queue of potential suitors lining up to take him off Vasco’s hands. And it will be interesting to see if Newcastle can win the race for his signature in what could represent great business from the Tynesiders.