Chelsea have altered their mind over Andrey Santos’ immediate future, with the rising star poised to be sent out next season.
Santos joined the Blues in January 2023 for a cost of about £10-£18 million, however he has yet to make his debut for the West London club.
He played the first part of the season on loan at Nottingham Forest, but was returned after only two appearances for the Premier League team.
The midfielder was then loaned to Strasbourg, the French club purchased by Chelsea owner Todd Boehly last summer, where he made a strong impact, earning the Ligue 1 Young Player of the Month title in March.
It was reported in June that Chelsea had no interest in letting the 20-year-old leave Stamford Bridge again, believing the Brazilian to be a perfect fit for new manager Enzo Maresca’s style of play.
However, that appears to have changed with Fabrizio Romano reporting that the decision has been made to loan Santos back to Strasbourg for the 2024/25 campaign.
That does not mean that his valuation at Chelsea has lowered, with the club still viewing the young star as a big player for the future.
It is also said that other clubs around Europe were very interested in acquiring his services, including Borussia Dortmund.
Santos will accompany Chelsea on their preseason tour of the USA, which kicks off against Wrexham in San Francisco on Thursday, rather than immediately joining Strasbourg.
After just one season in charge, Patrick Vieira was fired from his position as manager of Strasbourg. Liam Rosenior, a former Hull City manager, is reportedly the new manager for the upcoming campaign.
Romano continues by saying that Santos has already spoken with Rosenior about his plans for him. Rosenior was unexpectedly fired by the Tigers after leading them to seventh place in the Championship.