Chelsea express transfer interest in Vasco da Gama wonderkid Andrey Santos with special clause a potential boost

• No offer made yet
• Chelsea waiting for World Cup conclusion
• Facing competition from Newcastle

WHAT'S HAPPENING? Chelsea are eager to sign the 18-year-old, whose style has been compared with Sergio Busquets. His advanced abilities for his age have prompted Vasco to demand a club-record fee for the player - the previous highest mark was €18.5 million paid by Bayer Leverkusen for Paulinho in 2018.

THE BIGGER PICTURE: It's understood that a clause in Santos' contract states that any English team can pay below his €40 million release clause to secure his services, though the exact figure is not known. That clause is a boost to Chelsea and Newcastle as they try to negotiate a lower fee.

AND WHAT'S MORE: Santos recently renewed his contract with Vasco, signing on until September 2027 with the Rio de Janeiro club. In 2022, the defensive midfielder made 42 appearances for Vasco, totalling 3,402 minutes on the pitch.

STORY IN TWO PHOTOS:

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WHAT NEXT FOR ANDREY SANTOS? He'll continue his rapid development at Vasco until further notice, but it seems his eyes are set on an eventual move to Europe.