Manchester United have agreed a £50m deal with Chelsea to sign the Brazilian midfielder Andrey Santos, moving to address a central-midfield problem that had grown pressing ahead of pre-season. The transfer came together quickly after United registered their interest at the weekend, with Santos cleared for a medical, and it forms part of a broader midfield rebuild following the departure of Casemiro and a serious knee injury to Manuel Ugarte.

United will pay an initial £48m plus £2m in add-ons, with Chelsea retaining a 10% sell-on clause, having originally bought the 22-year-old from Vasco da Gama in 2023. Santos, who has made 28 Premier League appearances including a loan spell at Nottingham Forest, was keen for regular first-team football after sitting behind Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo at Chelsea. The signing follows United's failed pursuits of Elliot Anderson (priced above £110m) and Mateus Fernandes (who joined Tottenham for £85m), and comes alongside an agreed £35m move for goalkeeper Ederson from Atalanta. For Chelsea, facing a season without European football, Santos becomes their third notable sale of the summer after Marc Cucurella and Tyrique George, with Trevoh Chalobah also expected to leave.