Barcelona are reportedly interested in signing Chelsea midfielder Andrey Santos.
The Blues signed Santos from Vasco da Gama in a £18m transfer in January, but issues surrounding his work permit have delayed the start of his Chelsea career.
Santos was subsequently loaned back to the Brazilian club in March and has gone on to make 11 appearances this season, chipping in with one goal.
After playing his final game for Vasco da Gama on June 23, Santos has linked up with Chelsea following the approval of his UK work permit.
Although he is yet to make his Chelsea debut, Santos is believed to be attracting interest from the current La Liga champions.
According to the Daily Mail, Barcelona have identified Santos as a potential long-term replacement for Sergio Busquets, who recently left the club following the expiry of his contract.
Barcelona boss Xavi and the club's new sporting director Deco are both keen to sign the 19-year-old and there have reportedly been initial discussions between the two clubs.
The Catalan giants could face competition, though, with Benfica and Porto both interested in a loan deal for the Brazilian midfielder.
It is currently unclear whether Chelsea are willing to sell Santos, with the Blues low on numbers in midfield following the recent departures of Mateo Kovacic, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Mason Mount and N'Golo Kante.
Santos worked his way through the Vasco da Gama youth system before going on to make 49 appearances for the first team.
The youngster put in a number of impressive performances at the 2023 South American Under-20 Championship, registering six goals in eight games.
As a result, Santos finished the tournament as the joint-highest scorer alongside Vitor Roque, helping his country win the competition for the 12th time.
Santos also represented Brazil at the recent Under-20 World Cup, scoring a brace in a last-16 win over Tunisia before his country was eliminated in the quarter-finals.
The Chelsea man has earned one cap for the senior side after coming off the bench in Brazil's 2-1 defeat to Morocco in March. body check tags ::
