Inter show renewed interest in Chelsea’s Andrey Santos: a shake-up in midfield

SportItalia reports that Inter are interested in Andrey Santos.

The Brazilian midfielder, born in 2004, is under contract until June 2030 with Chelsea, who signed him for €12.5 million from Vasco da Gama in 2023. Following loan spells at Nottingham Forest and Strasbourg, he returned to London, where he has so far made 40 appearances, scoring one goal, providing five assists and picking up eight yellow cards.

The Nerazzurri officials had already discussed the matter with his agent Giuliano Bertolucci last year, when the conditions were not right to take the negotiations forward, and have now re-established contact to see if the situation has changed in the meantime and whether there is scope to reopen talks.

Looking ahead to next season, Chivu’s plan is to change the team’s system, switching from a three-man midfield to a two-man central midfield.

It is a role that none of Inter’s current seven midfielders naturally fits into: from Barella to Zielinski, via Calhanoglu, Diouf, Frattesi, Mkhitaryan and Sucic. Of all of them, perhaps the former Napoli player from Poland is the only one 100% certain to stay in Milan, whilst the others could well be on the move.

Andrey Santos can play as an inside midfielder in a three-man midfield, but also as a central midfielder, as demonstrated at Chelsea alongside Ecuadorian Moises Caicedo and in Carlo Ancelotti’s Brazil side alongside his Newcastle compatriot Bruno Guimaraes.

It is no coincidence that Inter are reportedly tracking other midfielders capable of playing in a two-man central midfield: France’s Manu Koné of Roma and Germany’s Leon Goretzka, whose contract with Bayern Munich expires in June.

Not to mention Serbian Aleksander Stankovic, whom the Nerazzurri are ready to bring back to Italy by paying Bruges the €23 million stipulated in the buy-back clause.