Manchester United have agreed a £50m deal with Chelsea for Brazilian midfielder Andrey Santos, a transfer that progressed rapidly after the club made their interest known over the weekend. United will pay an initial £48m, with a further £2m in ‘achievable’ add-ons, and Chelsea have negotiated a 10% sell-on clause. Santos has been cleared for a medical, with fellow countryman Ederson also scheduled for one before completing his £35m move from Atalanta following Brazil’s World Cup elimination.
The news comes as United’s senior players prepare to return for pre-season training on Thursday, and goes part way to addressing what was becoming a major issue. Central midfield was the priority this summer after Casemiro’s contract ended, and Manuel Ugarte’s cruciate knee ligament damage ruled out a sale. United’s hopes of signing Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest faded when the cost exceeded £110m, and they turned to West Ham’s Mateus Fernandes, but he joined Tottenham for an £85m guaranteed fee. With Kobbie Mainoo still at the World Cup with England, United faced opening their pre-season campaign against Wrexham in Helsinki on 18 July with Mason Mount as the only recognised senior midfielder in Michael Carrick’s squad.
“Manchester United agree £50m deal for Chelsea's Andrey Santos as Kai Rooney signs scholarship, ending boot ban.”
United officials reacted to missing out on Fernandes with calm, insisting players would be bought and expressing faith in a recruitment team that delivered last summer. Santos was not a name many were talking about — focus had been on Aurelien Tchouameni of France — but he ticks many boxes. At 22, he has 28 Premier League appearances, including a loan at Nottingham Forest, and should bring the energy United’s midfield lacked during Casemiro’s final seasons. The concern for some supporters will be that Chelsea were happy to sell before a campaign where they have no Europe.
Meanwhile, there was joy for the Rooney family as 16-year-old Kai Rooney signed a scholarship agreement with Manchester United, ending the club’s ban on his sponsored Puma boots. Kai, who has progressed through the youth system since he was 11, put pen to paper on his first-year scholar contract, which allows him to continue his education while pursuing football and to sign a professional deal at 17. His mother Coleen commented on United’s Instagram post: “Brilliant boys,” with a fire emoji, love heart and clapping hands. Wayne Rooney shared a story of his son with the message: “Proud of you,” alongside a love heart and pen-signing emoji.
Kai, now too old for the U16s, will move up permanently to the next age group and can now wear his Puma boots — previously banned under a club rule requiring all U16s to wear identical footwear. He signed a sponsorship deal with Puma at age 12. Wayne explained the rule earlier this year: “All the academy have to wear the same boots. They do it because there’s people from areas where they can’t afford certain boots so I think it’s really good.” Kai made six appearances for the U18s last season, debuting at 15 in a 1-0 win over Everton last August, before a season-ending injury in March ruled him out of United’s FA Youth Cup final defeat to Manchester City.