Chelsea close to completing £13 million January deal to sign Brazilian midfielder ahead of PSG - Reports

Chelsea are reportedly close to finalising a deal for Vasco da Gama midfielder Andrey Santos, who has also been heavily linked with Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona.

Santos, 18, has established himself as a core member of Vasco da Gama's squad in their quest to return to the Brasileiro Serie A. He has scored eight goals in 36 games across competitions this season.

A dynamic presence in the centre of the park, the Brazilian prodigy has grown by leaps and bounds since his Vasco debut in November last year. He has also made five appearances for the Brazil U16 side.

Andrey Santos in the 2021/22 season (Serie B).

🏟️36 games
⚽️ 8 goals
🟨 9 yellow cards

#CFC 🔵 https://t.co/zocMA2BUnp

According to Le10 Sport, Chelsea have emerged as the frontrunners to wrap up a deal for Santos amid interest from PSG, Barcelona and Newcastle United. The Blues are expected to complete the switch for a fee of £13 million in the upcoming winter transfer window.

Santos, who has a contract till September 2027 at the Sao Januario Stadium, has reportedly chosen the Blues as his preferred destination due to their favourable project under manager Graham Potter.

Chelsea are said to be interested in dishing out considerable cash in the future for multiple midfielders. While Jorginho and N'Golo Kante set to be out of contract next summer, Mason Mount and Ruben Loftus-Cheek were also linked with exits recently.

Meanwhile, the Blues have also been linked with the likes of Declan Rice, Jude Bellingham, Frenkie de Jong, Moises Caicedo, Edson Alvarez, Adrien Rabiot and Bruno Guimaraes, as per GOAL.

🚨Chelsea are interested in bringing Jude Bellingham and Declan Rice to Stamford Bridge next summer.
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🟦 #CFC 🟦 #ChelseaFC https://t.co/sH8hxUDUbY

Chelsea (21) are eighth in the Premier League standings, trailing fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur by eight points but have a game in hand.

Chelsea target tipped to join PSG on loan

Speaking on L'Equipe du Soir (via Canal Supporters), renowned pundit Didier Roustan said that he would rope in Atletico Madrid star Joao Felix at PSG amid interest from multiple clubs. He elaborated:

"I will take him because he is a good player, and he is restricted at Atletico. He has qualities. I think he can play a little lower or even up front, and he might even be able to fix (Kylian) Mbappe. Anyway, you have uncertainties about (Lionel) Messi and Neymar."

Roustan added that a short-term loan deal for Felix in the winter would be ideal for PSG. He concluded:

"He is a player who is spectacular and who can bring something new to the team. So for me, I agree if it's a loan. Afterwards, if you have to dish out £100 million, I think you could choose to put them elsewhere. But in the form of a loan, I absolutely say yes."

According to Marca, Felix has asked his agent Jorge Mendes to find a new club for him amid his deteriorating relationship with Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone. PSG, Chelsea, Manchester United and Bayern Munich are keen to snap him up in January.

Felix, 23, has netted 33 goals and laid out 18 assists in 129 games across competitions for Los Rojiblancos. He's currently with Portugal at the ongoing 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.