Chelsea are on the verge of signing 18-year-old Brazilian wonderkid Andrey Santos for around £18m

Chelsea are close to agreeing a deal worth around £18million for Vasco da Gama midfielder Andrey Santos.

The 18-year old has been followed by Newcastle United and Manchester City over recent months but is now destined for Stamford Bridge following positive talks.

Santos has been capped at U20 level by Brazil and is regarded as one of his country’s most promising midfielders.

Chelsea are close to agreeing a deal worth around £18million for Vasco da Gama midfielder Andrey Santos

Graham Potter is looking to add more rising young stars to the squad, having already agreed deals for David Fofana and Christopher Nkunku

Newcastle had been considered favourites for the teenager but Chelsea are confident of closing negotiations ahead of next week’s transfer window.

Santos has made 38 appearances for Vasco da Gama and scored eight goals. He is a midfielder who can build attacks but equally break up play defensively.

Chelsea have been keen to bolster their midfield with another young prospect as they have still to agree contracts with Jorginho, Ngolo Kante and Mason Mount.

They have already agreed deals for two new forwards. They are to pay around £8m to Molde for David Fofana while Christopher Nkunku is joining in the summer from Red Bull Leipzig for a fee over £52m.

Santos’s physicality and ability on the ball have played a major role in attracting interest from top clubs.

The 18-year-old midfielder has made 38 appearances for Vasco da Gama and scored eight goals

Santos has been followed by Newcastle United and Manchester City over recent months but is now destined for Stamford Bridge following positive talks 

Chelsea boss Graham Potter will be eager to add more rising stars, having cemented deals with Carney Chukwuemeka from Aston Villa, Cesare Casadei from Inter Milan, Gabriel Slonina from Chicago Fire and Omari Hutchinson from Arsenal.

Potter is also reportedly chasing his former club Brighton for midfielder Moises Caicedo after his impressive performances with Ecuador at the World Cup – but he will have to fight off interest from Liverpool too.

It’s understood that Santos is not expected to slot straight into the first-team squad when he arrives in London. 

The Brazilian could adapt to life in the Premier League between January and the summer – with the long-term view of replacing Ngolo Kante, should the Frenchman depart at the end of the season.