Chelsea have seen a number of their players join Premier League rivals this summer. Kepa Arrizabalaga and Noni Madueke have headed to Arsenal. Djordje Petrovic is now at Bournemouth. Armando Broja and Lesley Ugochukwu have joined Burnley. Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall finds himself at Everton. And there could be a few more to come before the window closes.
Chelsea are believed to be keen to part ways with players like Christopher Nkunku, Nicolas Jackson, Carney Chukwuemeka and a few others over the next couple of weeks. But on the other hand, those they want to keep are drawing interest as well.
As reported by Vene Casagrande, Chelsea rejected a £45 million offer from West Ham for Andrey Santos. The Hammers have been informed that the Brazilian player will not leave the team and advised to abandon the pursuit.
Santos is expected to be a key part of the Chelsea midfield alongside Enzo Fernandez, Moises Caicedo, Romeo Lavia and Dario Essugo. And it is hard to imagine that the Blues would be open to his exit anytime soon.
West Ham United reportedly made £45m bid for Chelsea player
Santos enjoyed an excellent 24/25 campaign out on loan at Strasbourg. He was one of the best midfielders in Ligue 1.
Now, it remains to be seen if he can take a step forward and establish himself at Chelsea. The Premier League is a very different challenge and the competition for places will be much higher.
That being said, this is going to be a long campaign. At least that is what Chelsea should be aiming for, as they should look to compete for all the competitions that they are in. As a result, depth is going to be very vital for the Blues if they are to bring home silverware. Santos could be a key part to that puzzle.