Andrey Santos Chelsea transfer truth as shock £45m Arsenal twist explained

When a player as good as Andrey Santos comes along, you buy them. That was Chelsea's thought process in January 2023 when they snapped him up from Vasco da Gama for just £12million. Two-and-a-half years on and his standing has risen so much that some are already hoping to stop him from ever making an appearance for the club.

Santos has been on four separate loan deals since his initial transfer was confirmed, including the first back to Brazil after the Under-20 South American Championship. There, as an 18-year-old, he captained his side and set about showing the world, or those watching, why he was so highly rated.

Six difficult months at Nottingham Forest have proven the exception in an otherwise sharp ascent to becoming one of Europe's most exciting players. This time he is already deemed ready.

Many will say that Chelsea could and should have integrated Santos into the team this year. When Lesley Ugochukwu went to Southampton it left a lot of pressure on Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo.

By January it was clear that Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall would not cut it. Renato Veiga wanted to play in defence, and Carney Chukwuemeka had hardly been given a look in.

Santos was clamoured over after yet again showing his quality in France. Chelsea resisted the urge to recall him and instead allowed sister club RC Strasbourg to continue benefiting from his performances. For supporters of the Alsace side and their manager, Liam Rosenior, it has proven a good call.

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Even if the final day of the Ligue 1 season does not go in their favour, Strasbourg are set to play European football in 2025/26 and it is hard to imagine that being the case without Santos' help.

. They will hope to have him at the Club World Cup for full acclimatisation given the lack of true pre-season.

The stance is that decisions will be made once this season is done. Both are focusing on the important goals to be achieved in the next week or so. Then, Santos added, he will sit down with Chelsea and his representatives to discuss moving forward.

None of this gives off the impression that Santos is going anywhere. Chelsea have not even offered him a competitive debut yetFrom a light-touch midfield last season and for parts of this one to a blend of technicality and physicality which the Premier League demands. That is what Chelsea are looking at.

. Paris Saint-Germain are also said to be in the mix with a price of around £40-£45million floated.

Arsenal are aiming to revamp their midfield with the certain loss of Jorginho this summer and Thomas Partey's future remaining unclear. Mikel Merino struggled when in a deeper position as well.

Martin Zubimendi is the prime target for Arsenal but new sporting director Andrea Berta is also after depth after Arsenal's season hit a brick wall due to injuries. Changes across the board make more deals likely in the transfer window and Santos is a natural candidate for anyone in the market.

As a Brazilian coming from France, there are parallels to Bruno Guimaraes, another all-action midfielder. Arsenal were keen to bring in him from Lyon for years and have even been touted as a possible destination again since his move to Newcastle United.

PSG themselves already have a strong midfield with Vitinha, Fabian Ruiz, and Joao Neves holding out even the teenage superstar Warren Zaire-Emery. Santos has shown PSG what he can do up close, though, and is the sort of player which fits their shift in strategy under Luis Campos.

Bayern Munich and Barcelona have previously been credited with interest in Santos. It is understood that he does have suitors across the continent and it would only take a hint for most to act if it seems like he might be available.

The noises at Chelsea are somewhat split

For any side to come in and make an offer it would surely need to be more than the reported figure, for starters.

Chelsea will also not want to be doing business with Arsenal, a team they will see as a direct rival even if there has been a sizeable gap between them for most of the past three seasons. The two have completed deals (Kai Havertz, Jorginho, and Raheem Sterling) but all of those were good for both sides.

Chelsea banked a healthy fee for Havertz, making a profit on him, whilst also making squad upgrades elsewhere for cheaper and younger players. Jorginho and Sterling were unwanted.

Santos is very much a different case.

Currently, it is an easy story to create plenty of speculation around Santos. Actions will speak louder than words, though, when it comes down to it for Chelsea. They need to show Santos the trust and commitment they expect in return. Do that and Santos can become the envy of Europe, not the target.