Manchester United’s search for a new central midfielder has turned to Andrey Santos, with the Chelsea player now being considered as a possible answer to a problem that has sharpened in recent days. The 22-year-old is thought to be open to leaving Stamford Bridge, and United’s interest has put him squarely into the middle of the market.
That interest is not random. Casemiro’s departure on a free transfer and Manuel Ugarte’s serious knee injury have left Manchester United short in the middle of the pitch, and manager Michael Carrick is said to be desperate for reinforcements to complement Kobbie Mainoo. In that context, Santos has emerged as a name worth watching because he is a central midfielder available in principle and still young enough to fit a longer plan.
The numbers help explain why his name has surfaced. Santos made 27 Premier League appearances in 2025–26 but played only 1,255 minutes, which is just under 14 full matches. That is a decent amount of exposure, yet not enough to suggest he has locked down a major role at Chelsea. Moisés Caicedo and Enzo Fernández are firmly ahead of him in the pecking order, and that has limited the chances Santos has been able to turn into regular influence.
His path to this point has not been smooth. A loan spell at Nottingham Forest did not work out, and he has still not produced the kind of impact at Chelsea that many had expected when he arrived. Even so, his name has been pushed into the frame alongside Alex Scott, another sign that United are looking broadly rather than settling early on one candidate.
There is, though, a catch that matters to both clubs. Santos may be open to leaving, but Chelsea are also plotting how to reinvigorate their squad for Xabi Alonso, which makes a sale easier to imagine than to guarantee. The club would have to decide whether a midfielder who has not broken fully into the side should stay as part of that reset or move on while his value remains tied to his potential rather than his minutes. For United, that means the question is not whether Santos fits the need. It is whether Chelsea are ready to let him go at all.
If Chelsea do choose to deal, they are unlikely to treat Santos as a cut-price option. A player who is 22, with Premier League experience and still seen as having upside, would normally command a fee built around potential as much as production. That is why the next step matters most: United have identified the profile, but Chelsea still control the player and the price. Until that changes, Andrey Santos remains a target rather than a transfer.
