Chelsea closing in on second January transfer with £18m swoop

The Blues are wasting no time improving their squad

December 22, 2022 at 1:55 pm GMT

Chelsea and Graham Potter are closing in on a second January signing before the January transfer window as Brazilian youngster Andrey Santos, having beaten off interest from Manchester City and Newcastle United to secure his signature.

The 18-year-old is seen as one of Brazil’s most exciting talents, along with Real Madrid bound forward Endrick, and the midfielder is set to join Chelsea’s increasingly young squad, which has already snapped up talented youngsters Carney Chukwuemeka, Cesare Casadei and Omari Hutchinson over the summer.

Santos, currently plying his trade with Vasco de Gama, has made 38 appearances for the Brazilian outfit, scoring eight goals in that time. He has also been capped on four occasions for Brazil’s U20 setup. The teenager has been likened to Jude Bellingham in his play style, with the midfielder capable in either box.

He will become the second addition under Graham Potter, with David Datro Fofana having also reached an agreement to join the club from Norweigian outfit Molde in January. The 19-year-old striker, who scored 15 times in 24 Norweigian top-flight outings, is making the switch for a fee in excess of 10m euros.

Chelsea are also expected to explore the market for short-term solutions to their striker issue following Armando Broja being ruled out for the remainder of the season.

Cristiano Ronaldo, Joao Felix, Matheus Cunha and Memphis Depay have all been linked with a move to Stamford Bridge this January, though it seems though Ronaldo may be Al Nassr bound rather than heading to west London.

They have also agreed a deal to sign RB Leipzig forward Christopher Nkunku in the summer of 2023, with the Frenchman already having had his medical with the Blues.