Andrey Santos completes £50m move to Man United

Manchester United have announced the arrival of Andrey Santos on a five-year deal, plus the option of an additional 12 months, from Chelsea.

The Red Devils have signed off on a £50 million package, paying £48m upfront and agreeing to £2m in easily achievable add-ons.

Andrey Santos completes Manchester United move

It brings the midfielder’s Chelsea tenure to a close after only three-and-a-half years, only half of which he actually spent at Stamford Bridge.

Andrey Santos trained at Carrington today and will be available for #mufc’s first pre-season friendly of the summer against Wrexham in Helsinki on Saturday [@TyMarshall_MEN] pic.twitter.com/neHZeSOCKD

— utdreport (@utdreport) July 13, 2026

After officially signing for the Blues in the 2023 winter window, he returned to Vasco de Gama on loan for the remainder of the season.

Santos then spent a campaign on loan with Strasbourg before joining Nottingham Forest in August 2023. However, he was recalled from the City Ground after only five months due to a lack of game time.

Those struggles for minutes only continued at Chelsea, though, as the 22-year-old ranked behind counterparts Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo in the pecking order.

As a result, he was limited to only 13 Premier League starts in 2025/2026 and was an unused substitute for 10 matches.

Andrey Santos’ final game for Chelsea:

38 passes attempted
38 passes completed
8 carries
8 duels contested
6 duels won
5 tackles attempted
5 tackles won
1 shot
1 goal

Completed every pass, won every tackle and scored. Imagine selling him… 🤯 pic.twitter.com/zdzNpNxQ3W

— Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) July 13, 2026

The fact Chelsea failed to qualify for any European competition at the end of the term means appearances would’ve been even harder to come by for Santos in 2026/2027, hence approving of a switch to United.

What Santos had to say after joining United

The United faithful were able to hear from their new signing in his official announcement this afternoon.

In the video shared on the club’s Twitter/X account, Santos says: “To be honest, since when I was young, I dreamed of this moment, you know.

“The history, the responsibility that comes with this badge… that’s why I’m here. I can’t wait to play in front of these fans alongside this team and help create new memories.

“I’m here to bring energy, to compete, [and] to win the ball. Drive the team forward and give everything for this club. So I’m so happy to be here, and now, I’m going to make my name in the history of this big, big club.”