Chelsea’s January transfer plans are changing seemingly by the minute at the moment as they continue to be linked with new signings.
It is actually exits that are dominating the headlines as far as the Blues are concerned at the moment. Both Renato Veiga and Christopher Nkunku have agreed terms to join Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich.
Chelsea will be in the market for potential replacements for both players, with Mathys Tel and Liam Delap being mentioned as options for new attackers.
There are also reports speculating that the Blues are still looking at signing a new midfielder, with their depth behind Enzo Fernandez, Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia so far not being trusted with a Premier League start.
Chelsea could recall Andrey Santos from loan at Enzo Maresca’s request
The club have a couple of players who could feature in those roles currently on loan in the form of Lesley Ugochukwu and Andrey Santos.
The latter has been one of the better midfielders in Ligue 1 this season, and his development is on track during his time at Strasbourg.
It was reported Chelsea were of the belief that bringing Santos in to the first team picture at the end of the season was the best plan of action.
However, Simon Phillips has reported that the Blues are actually considering recalling the Brazilian to bolster their options this month instead.
He said on the Simon Phillips substack: “Chelsea also still want to bring in a new midfielder this window on request of Enzo Maresca.
“However, that does not need to be a new midfielder, and there are still chances that either Lesley Ugochukwu or Andrey Santos could be recalled, SPTC sources have heard again yesterday.
“There’s a chance Santos is recalled too by the way, something that we were not expecting to happen at all, until now, potentially.”
How is Andrey Santos performing for Strasbourg?
Santos was named in the U21 Team of the Season in Europe recently, proving that he is really enjoying his time as a regular starter in France.
He has seven goals in all competitions this season, upping his level tremendously from his sole strike in the 2023/24 campaign.
Santos was also made captain for a game late last year, further proving his importance to the Strasbourg side. Journalist Graeme Bailey described him as their ‘standout’ player this season.
Recalling Santos would open up another loan spot at the Ligue 1 side, which could be occupied by another youngster looking to prove their talents at first team level.
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