Manchester United have finalized the acquisition of Brazilian midfielder Andrey Santos from Chelsea on a five-year contract, with a potential extension, as their first summer signing under Michael Carrick. The £50m deal, comprising an initial £48m and £2m in add-ons, addresses a midfield need following departures and injuries. Santos, 22, expressed enthusiasm about joining the club and learning from Carrick. United are simultaneously pursuing Aston Villa's Youri Tielemans after abandoning a deal for Ederson, having triggered his £35m release clause. Meanwhile, Villa faces midfield shortages and is nearing a club-record signing of Johan Manzambi while potentially losing Lucas Digne.
Manchester United have completed the signing of Chelsea midfielder Andrey Santos in a deal worth £50million. The 22-year-old Brazilian has signed a five-year contract until June 2031 with the option to extend it by another year.
Santos, who cost £48m plus up to £2m in add-ons, has become United's first signing of the summer - and the club's first under head coach Michael Carrick - after passing a medical last week. The confirmation of the transfer comes as United pursue a £35m move for Aston Villa's Youri Tielemans after pulling out of a £39m deal for Atalanta midfielder Ederson.
Santos, who cost Chelsea £18m from Vasco Da Gama in January 2023, said: 'Everything about Manchester United is special; it is an incredible feeling to join a club that some of my biggest idols have represented. As a midfielder, I am really excited to have the opportunity to learn from Michael Carrick, he is the perfect coach to help me take the next step in my career and push to achieve my dreams.
Everybody told me about how ambitious the club is and the amazing environment that has been created here. I know just how strong the squad is and I cannot wait to fight together to compete for the biggest trophies.
' United's director of football Jason Wilcox added: 'Andrey is an outstanding midfielder with excellent technical qualities and the ability to impact the game at both ends of the pitch. He was a key target for us in an important position, so we are delighted that he will join Michael's squad so early in pre-season.
Despite already having extensive experience, leadership abilities and proving his talent at the highest level, Andrey still has enormous potential to develop further, and we cannot wait to see him flourish at Manchester United.
' United had been in need of a midfield revamp after Casemiro exited the club at the end of his contract and Manuel Ugarte, who United were considering selling, suffered a long-term injury while on international duty. Santos, a versatile player who could be deployed across Carrick's midfield three, joins after netting three goals and providing four assists in 43 Chelsea appearances last season.
He could soon be followed by Aston Villa midfielder Tielemans, after it emerged earlier today that United have triggered a release clause worth £35million in his contract. The collapse of a move for Ederson meant that the Red Devils needed to move quickly to find an alternative, and the club appear to have done just that.
Tielemans, 29, has two years left on his deal at Villa Park but is reported to be keen on a move to Old Trafford, and would offer United a wealth of experience in the middle of the park. If Tielemans completes his move, it would leave Villa extremely light in central midfield. His Belgium team-mate Amadou Onana ruptured his ACL during the World Cup while Boubacar Kamara is still recovering from his own knee injury sustained in January.
Unai Emery's target at the start of the summer had been to sign attackers who can operate across the front line yet he may now have to turn his attention to midfield. The Midlands club are understood to be closing in on a club-record deal for Switzerland and Freiburg star Johan Manzambi worth close to £60m. They could, however, lose left-back Lucas Digne, who Daily Mail Sport understands is a target for former club Paris Saint-Germain
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