Barça misses out on one of the Brazilian pearls it most wanted

Andrey Santos, 18-year-old Vasco da Gama midfielder, signed for Chelsea, who will pay 12.5 million euros plus 7.5 in variables

Barcelona tried unsuccessfully to hire the captain of the U-20 Seleçao because Vasco da Gama did not accept the offer of 5 million euros

One of the Brazilian pearls that the Barcelona scouting department liked the most was Andrey Santos, an 18-year-old midfielder from Vasco da Gamawhom he saw as having the capacity to become, in the medium term, a starter in the Blaugrana first team, taking into account that Sergio Busquets will no longer be there. Well then, the captain of the U-20 Seleçao has committed to Chelsea, who will pay, as SPORT has learned, a transfer fee of 12.5 million euros plus 7.5 million in variables.

Barcelona tried to tie up the Cruzmaltino midfielder in February after seeing him in action in the Sao Paulo Juniors Cup, the traditional ‘Copinha’, where the carioca midfielder ratified with his good performances all the reports that the technical secretariat handled.

There was even a meeting with the president of Vasco, Jorge Salgado, in Rio de Janeiro to close the incorporation of the footballer, who did not want to sign his renewal and would be free in a few months. The Brazilian leader, however, rejected theThe 5 million euros (1.5 fixed plus 3.5 in variables) that Barça offered. Andrey, in principle, was going to join Barça B.

The young Brazilian, whom his country sees as having the potential to be in this next cycle of the Seleçao, will travel to London in the coming days to join Chelsea’s discipline. So his presence in the South American Under-20 Championship, which begins to be played on January 19 in Colombia.

His challenge is to adapt to the Premier League coming directly from Serie B of the Brasileirao where Vasco played this last season.

With his hiring, the Blue management begins to make a move at the possibility of ending up losing one or two of its midfielderswhich are precisely on Barcelona’s agenda: Kanté, that Xavi Hernández likes a lot and that he is already asking to tie his future with Barça in Januaryand the Italian-Brazilian Jorginho who has already been negotiating with Mateu Alemany. Both continue without renewing, their contract ends on June 30 and, as of January 1, they can sign as free agents.

On the part of Barça, the impossibility of being able to tie Andrey Santosjust as it happened days ago with Endrick for which Real Madrid has disbursed 35 ‘kilos’, stage the financial difficulties that the club currently has with the ‘Financial Fair Play’ of LaLiga.