Barcelona 'keeping tabs on Chelsea midfielder Andrey Santos'

Barcelona have reportedly retained an interest in signing Chelsea midfielder Andrey Santos in the future.

At the turn of the year, the Premier League giants won the race for the teenager's signature, with the hope being that he could immediately start to contribute in the first team.

However, Chelsea failed to obtain a work permit, resulting in a loan switch back to Vasco Da Gama, but Santos has since failed to break into the senior ranks at Stamford Bridge.

Although he made a positive impact during pre-season, the acquisition of Rennes midfielder Lesley Ugochukwu led to Santos being loaned out to Nottingham Forest.

While a move to a lower-end Premier League club appeared to be ideal for his development, the 19-year-old is yet to make his top-flight debut for his temporary club.

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Having seen the Brazil international restricted to one start in the EFL Cup, Chelsea are allegedly giving consideration to finding a new club for Santos in January.

With their seven foreign loan spots having already been filled, the West Londoners would need to find a domestic club to take on Santos if they made such a decision at the beginning of 2024.

Nevertheless, according to Sport, Barcelona are keeping tabs of any developments with the future of a player who remains as one of the most highly-rated starlets in South American football.

The Catalan giants have held an interest in Santos on two separate occasions, initially wanting to sign him on a permanent basis before being unable to afford the fee.

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Barcelona would have also been happy to take Santos on loan in the summer if a deal had been feasible, and they are said to have remained as admirers.

The report adds that sporting director Deco holds a strong relationship with agent Giuliuano Bertolucci, something that could prove beneficial if Barcelona reach a position where they can afford Santos in the future.

Santos holds a contract at Chelsea until the end of the 2029-30 campaign and owners Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital would not give the green light to a sale unless they were able to make a profit on the €15m that they shelled out less than a year ago.

That said, Chelsea are well stocked with central midfielders at a time when they may have to take measures to boost their position with FFP in the short and long term.