Official: Andrey Santos to Manchester United announced

Manchester United confirmed the signing of Brazilian midfielder Andrey Santos on Monday in a deal worth £48m. He joins from Chelsea after his first full season with the Blues.

The transfer moved quickly in the wake of a collapsed deal for Ederson and Tottenham Hotspur swooping in for West Ham’s Mateus Fernandes. The club were reported to have backup plans in place, and that appeared to be true with Santos now a Red.

“As a midfielder, I am really excited to have the opportunity to learn from Michael Carrick, he is the perfect coach to help me take the next step in my career and push to achieve my dreams,” Santos said in a club press release. “Everybody told me about how ambitious the club is and the amazing environment that has been created here. I know just how strong the squad is and I cannot wait to fight together to compete for the biggest trophies.”

Santos arrived on the same day that United reportedly triggered a release clause of about £35m for Aston Villa’s Youri Tielemans. His World Cup journey with Belgium ended on Friday in the quarterfinal, and he will get some time off to rest and recover, but the signing appears to be in an advanced stage.

With Santos and Tielemans coming in, United have two players reinforcing the midfield who can play line-breaking passes and carry the ball forward, a boost for Bruno Fernandes, who had acted almost single-handedly in that role over the past two seasons.