Chelsea are open to the sale of young midfielder Andrey Santos for the right price this summer, according to a report.
The 20-year-old is yet to make a name for himself at Stamford Bridge, but he has excelled for sister club Strasbourg since joining the Ligue 1 club on loan in February 2024.
Santos has conjured up eight goals and three assists in 21 appearances for Strasbourg across all competitions, including seven efforts and two assists in 19 Ligue 1 games to help propel Les Coureurs into the top half of the table.
As things stand, the 2004-born prospect will be heading back to Stamford Bridge this summer when his temporary deal with Strasbourg expires, and he remains contracted to the Blues for another five seasons.
However, according to TEAMtalk, Chelsea would not be averse to selling Santos ahead of the 2025-26 season if the right offer came along, despite being impressed with how he has performed in France.
Santos viewed as 'pure profit player' by Chelsea
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Head coach Enzo Maresca will be expected to assess Santos at the end of the campaign, and the possibility of the Brazilian being integrated into the first team has not been ruled out.
On the other hand, Chelsea allegedly view Santos as a 'pure profit player', one whom they could sell for significantly more than the £10.4m they paid Vasco da Gama for his signature in 2023.
Furthermore, the midfielder would apparently only be happy to stay at Stamford Bridge if he is promised a 'big role' in the first team, and he is not prepared to stick around if he will only be a bit-part performer.
Several unnamed clubs are said to be pursuing Santos, who was recently compared to Brazil legend Dunga by Strasbourg coach Liam Rosenior, who told The Athletic: "Andrey is going to have a magnificent career.
"Andrey plays like he's 32. I call him Dunga, he's Brazilian but he doesn't play like one. He's so smart and his stats are through the roof, in terms of scoring goals, winning duels. He's going to have an outstanding career."
Santos is still waiting to make his first-team debut for Chelsea, who have also loaned him back to Vasco da Gama and Nottingham Forest since welcoming him to West London.
What other Chelsea players could be sold this summer?
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Santos's exit for a sizeable profit could be the start of a mammoth summer clearout for Chelsea, who allowed Renato Veiga, Ben Chilwell, Carney Chukwuemeka, Axel Disasi and Joao Felix to leave on loan in January.
The Blues still have high hopes for Veiga - currently representing Juventus - but the latter four are all expected to be on the chopping block when the summer window rolls around.
The same can be said for fellow loanees Raheem Sterling, Armando Broja and Kepa Arrizabalaga, while David Datro Fofana's future is uncertain after his early return from Goztepe SK with a serious knee problem.
In terms of Maresca's existing squad, Benoit Badiashile, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Christopher Nkunku could seek pastures new in search of more playing time, and it remains to be seen how Mykhaylo Mudryk's doping case plays out.
Ben Knapton
