Chelsea make Andrey Santos transfer plan as Blues await fate of work permit after £18m signing

Chelsea are hoping to have Andrey Santos available for selection for the second part of the season following his January arrival.

The 18-year-old was signed from Vasco da Gama in an £18 million deal as Chelsea beat Manchester City and Newcastle United to his signature last month.

Graham Potter’s side are reportedly wanting to utilise the Brazilian once he returns from the U20 South American Championship in Colombia.

However, there is one stumbling block which they need to overcome. Santos is yet to obtain a work permit. Chelsea are currently working on it but no breakthrough has been made.

UOL have confirmed nothing has been finalised and Chelsea are hoping his performances for Brazil will be enough to clinch a permit, with Santos not having enough points to qualify for a permit.

His performances for Brazil will benefit Chelsea in their quest for a permit due to the midfielder captaining his country, as well as scoring five goals in the six appearances he has made.

Chelsea have come up with a Plan B should they not be able to get a work permit for Santos. It’s stated they are prepared to loan him back to Brazil to a side who has qualified for the Copa Libertadores in order to get the work permit.

Brazil has eight representatives. Fortaleza and Atlético-MG are in the knockout stage, while Palmeiras, Internacional, Fluminense, Corinthians , Flamengo and Athletico Paranaense are in the group stage.

Santos was delighted to complete his ‘dream’ transfer to Chelsea last month and is already looking forward to returning to Cobham to link up with his new teammates.

He told ge.globo last month: “It’s a dream come true to play for one of the biggest clubs in Europe, a huge club like Chelsea. I am really happy. Everyone who is close to me knows that it was my goal when I was 18 to be in Europe, and, thank God, I was able to achieve it. 

“Thiago and Jorginho (who has now joined Arsenal) are phenomenal guys, I always looked up to them, I always accompanied them, and I was very happy in the first contact for the way they treated me, for the simplicity, for the welcome. I hope to help them and the team a lot when I return.”