Manchester United have secured the signing of Brazil international midfielder Andrey Santos from Chelsea, with the transfer fee set at £50m.

The deal is structured as a guaranteed £48m payment, with a further £2m available in performance-related add-ons. Chelsea will also retain a 10 percent sell-on clause as part of the agreement.

Path to the exit

Santos, 22, found his route to regular first-team football at Chelsea increasingly blocked. With Chelsea absent from European competition in 2026/27, the competition for places in central midfield grew fiercer — particularly after Moises Caicedo signed a new contract keeping him at the club until 2033 earlier this year.

Those circumstances made a permanent departure the logical outcome for a player of Santos's ambitions.

From Vasco to the Premier League

Santos arrived at Chelsea from Vasco da Gama in 2023 and spent time on loan at Nottingham Forest as well as Ligue 1 side Strasbourg — Chelsea's sister club — before establishing himself in the Blues' squad.

Last season, the Brazilian featured in 43 matches across all competitions for Chelsea, contributing three goals and four assists.

Manchester United have also confirmed the free-transfer signing of goalkeeper Karl Darlow alongside the Santos deal.