Man Utd interest in Chelsea star confirmed after ‘talks’ and he could ‘force’ Blues exit on one condition

Manchester United’s top priority in the summer will be bolstering their midfield, and a respected source has reported that Chelsea star Andrey Santos is on their radar.

As we have stated many times, United ideally want to sign two new centre-mids, and their three top targets are Adam Wharton, Elliot Anderson and Carlos Baleba.

But the trio are all being tracked by rival clubs and will command potentially gigantic fees this summer – hence why United are doing their due diligence on potential alternatives.

Santos , 21, signed for Chelsea from Brazilian side Vasco da Gama in 2023. He has since been loaned back to Vasco and out to Nottingham Forest, and the Blues’ sister club, Strasbourg.

He is widely considered to be an exciting prospect, but has struggled for consistent playing time at Chelsea , making just 10 starts in the Premier League this season.

Five of those have come under new manager Liam Rosenior, though, who he knows well from their time together at Strasbourg.

According to Jacobs, Santos was discussed by United chiefs when they were in talks with Chelsea over the sale of Alejandro Garnacho, who moved to Stamford Bridge last summer.

He suggests that Santos remains a player of interest for the Red Devils, though it will be tough to get him out of the London side.

“The only other name that I’ve heard and I’ll kind of repeat it from the Garnacho talks, is Andrey Santos ,” Jacobs told The United Stand.

“And right now, I think less likely than it was when Man United and Chelsea were negotiating over Alejandro Garnacho because at that point, Santos was not really getting game time. And now he’s playing under a manager who knows him really well from Strasbourg.

“And as a consequence, Chelsea’s not for sale stance, which was said at the time when they were talking over Alejandro Garnacho, is probably one that you would expect them to double down on heading into the summer.”

However, Jacobs does outline a scenario where Santos’ playing time could decrease further, potentially leading to the Blues softening their stance on selling him.

“if Chelsea brings in another midfielder, you’ve got Enzo Fernandez, who’s been pushed forwards,” Jacobs added. “If Romeo Lavia gets fit, Reece James is being played in midfield and Moises Caicedo is basically undroppable.”

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While Rosenior’s appointment at Chelsea could see Santos nail down a more consistent spot in the team, sources have previously indicated to TEAMtalk that the player could, in fact, pursue an exit in the future.

Our transfer insider, Fraser Fletcher, revealed back in April last year that Santos may ‘force’ an exit should his playing time not increase.

Chelsea also have a history of selling young talents for a significant profit. They paid £20million for Santos when they signed him, and would likely demand double that for a sale.

There was no shortage of interest at the time of our report, as we revealed how eight Premier League sides had made enquiries for the midfielder.

A switch to United could tempt Santos, but again, he would likely be looking for guarantees of consistent minutes before approving the switch.

He is contracted at Stamford Bridge until 2030, so Chelsea are in a very strong negotiating position, but he is a player to keep a close eye on as the summer window nears.