Chelsea set to sign Brazilian midfielder for €20 million - Reports

Premier League giants Chelsea are set to sign Andrey Santos from Vasco da Gama for a fee that could rise to €20 million with add-ons, as per Fabrizio Romano.

The Serie A B club will receive €12.5 million in guaranteed transfer fees, while the rest will be paid in add-ons in the future. The Brazilian midfielder has played 37 senior games for Vasco Cruzmaltino, where he has scored eight times.

He has spent the entirety of his short football career with his current club but could be set to make the move to Europe in the coming days. Santos has represented Brazil at U20 level, having played for them in three international friendlies so far.

The Blues are no strangers to shopping from Brazil, having bought the likes of Oscar, Wallace Oliveira, and Kenedy from Brazilian clubs. They have also shown an inclination towards signing youngsters in recent months.

Former Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel oversaw the arrivals of Carney Chukwuemeka (19), Cesare Casadei (19), and Omari Hutchinson (19) this summer. This could be their way of planning for the future given N'Golo Kante and Jorginho's situation at the club.

The midfield duo have visibly been on the decline in recent months and are in the final year of their respective contracts at Stamford Bridge. They signed Denis Zakaria on loan with an option to buy for €30 million from Juventus this summer to shore up their first-team midfield.

But with just 82 minutes of Premier League football under his belt this campaign, it would be a surprise if the Blues trigger that option. With this in mind, the west London outfit are seemingly in the market for central midfielders.

Apart from Santos, they have reportedly registered their interest in Real Sociedad's 23-year-old midfielder Martin Zubimendi.

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Chelsea manager gives verdict on Reece James' injury after Bournemouth win

Chelsea right-back Reece James featured in the starting XI against AFC Bournemouth on Tuesday, December 27.

He was making a return from a knee injury that kept him out of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. But just a few minutes into the second half, he worryingly signaled to the bench that he needed to come off.

After Chelsea's 2-0 win against the Cherries, Potter told reporters (h/t Football.London):

"It's the same area so we're concerned. We'll have to see in the next 24/48 hours. It is a bit too soon but it was in that action, a chop, and he felt something. We have to keep our fingers crossed at the moment.

"He is disappointed, of course. At the moment, we're just hoping it isn't as bad and we'll keep our fingers crossed."

With the win, Chelsea are now placed eighth in the Premier League standings with 24 points from 15 games.