Chelsea transfer news: Andrey Santos asking price 'set' by BlueCo as Manchester United, Premier League rival lurk

Chelsea have reportedly set the asking price of Andrey Santos in the region of £50m.

The midfielder has made a total of 26 starts and 21 substitute outings for the Blues in all competitions since making his debut at last summer's Club World Cup.

However, despite the 22-year-old being a BlueCo favourite, a report emerged on Friday which suggested that Santos could be sold for the right price.

That is a consequence of Chelsea needing to raise funds to comply with the relevant financial regulations, as well as Real Madrid shutting down talk of interest in Enzo Fernandez.

According to The Guardian, that has led to two Premier League rivals identifying Santos as a potential target.

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Man United considering Santos approach?

The report suggests that Manchester United and Newcastle United both hold an interesting in signing the former Vasco Da Gama starlet.

Man United are in the market for new central midfielders, the depth to their options in the engine room being hit by Casemiro's departure and a serious knee injury sustained by Manuel Ugarte.

Meanwhile, Newcastle will have funds to spend once Sandro Tonali finalises a £100m transfer to Tottenham Hotspur.

Santos is said to be open to leaving Stamford Bridge if it becomes apparent that he will not be a regular starter under Xabi Alonso.

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Chelsea under pressure to resolve Santos issue

With no clubs interested in meeting Chelsea's £120m valuation for Enzo Fernandez, it leaves BlueCo with decisions to make.

There is plenty of evidence to suggest that keeping Santos at Stamford Bridge and lowering Fernandez's asking price to encourage interest would be more beneficial in the long term than selling Santos.

Nevertheless, it appears increasingly likely that BlueCo would take the opportunity to cash in on Santos if it became apparent they could more than double their money on his £18m transfer fee.

They should instead be looking to keep Santos in West London and search for other solutions, with the player having the attributes to become a key player for Chelsea under Alonso.