United to shop two Brazilians worth 100 million

Few people in the world of top-level football have much faith in Brazilian players these days, especially in their midfielders. Manchester United belong to that minority. This June, the Red Devils' midfield lost Casemiro, but the Brazilian veteran is expected to be replaced by two of his younger compatriots. After Ederson from Atalanta, United have also agreed a deal to sign Andrey Santos from Chelsea. The total outlay for the Brazilian midfield duo is expected to be around 100 million euros.

Ederson's transfer was agreed with the Italian club some time ago for a fixed fee of 40.5 million, plus 4.5 million euros in bonuses. The deal is simply awaiting the end of the World Cup and a medical in Manchester before becoming official. However, Michael Carrick wants even more fresh blood in midfield—partly because of the increased number of matches with the Champions League returning, and partly because Manuel Ugarte's serious injury will keep him sidelined for months, although he had already been expected to leave the club.

Casemiro's replacement is a Brazilian too

United's first-choice targets were Elliot Anderson and Mateus Fernandes, but both proved too expensive, with their clubs demanding around 100 million. The club therefore turned to other options and settled on Chelsea's Andrey Santos, who would cost roughly half that amount. An offer of around 56 million euros plus a further two million in bonuses was accepted at Stamford Bridge today. Chelsea will also receive 10% of any future transfer fee involving the Brazilian.

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Chelsea originally signed Santos as a teenager from Vasco da Gama for 12.5 million euros and left him in Brazil to finish the season. When he arrived in England in June 2023, he was immediately loaned to Nottingham Forest, but failed to impress there and, after six months, was "parked" at Chelsea's sister club Strasbourg, where he enjoyed an excellent year and a half under Liam Rosenior. His performances earned him a return to Chelsea last year, where he was reunited with Rosenior. Although he failed to establish himself in the Brazil national team, he did enough to convince Manchester United to make a move.

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Santos first agreed personal terms with the Red Devils on a significantly improved contract compared to the one he had at Stamford Bridge, before waiting for the clubs to reach an agreement. Once Chelsea accepted the offer, Andrey Santos was given permission to travel to Manchester for a medical ahead of signing his contract. Chelsea are not losing much in sporting terms, as Santos was not a regular starter. Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez remain first-choice midfielders, Romeo Lavia is expected to play a bigger role, and highly rated youngster Dario Essugo, who joined from Sporting, is also pushing for minutes. On the other hand, Chelsea have made a substantial profit on Santos, which will help them balance their financial accounts.

WORLD CUP - KNOCKOUT STAGE

Quarter-finals

Thursday

23.00: (1.60) France (4.00) Morocco (6.20)

Friday

22.00: (1.65) Spain (4.00) Belgium (5.50)

Sunday

00.00: (4.00) Norway (3.70) England (1.90)

04.00: (1.75) Argentina (3.50) Switzerland (5.50)

***odds are subject to change**'