Chelsea enter race to sign Newcastle United transfer target with £35m release clause

The 18-year-old Vasco da Gama midfielder Andrey Santos has been subject to interest from Newcastle since the summer with a reported £17.5million bid turned down by the Brazilian club, according to sources in Brazil.

Santos reportedly has a £35million release clause at Vasco and Newcastle face competition from Paris Saint-Germain, Barcelona as well as Premier League rivals Aston Villa, Everton and now Chelsea.

Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano claims Chelsea and Newcastle are the clubs currently tracking the youngster though it is ‘too early’ to say whether a deal will be done.

Despite his age, Santos has established himself as one of the top performing midfielders in Brazil’s second tier and has attracted plenty of interest from clubs in Europe.

The Magpies have established strong links with Brazil over the past 12 months with the revival of Joelinton and signing of instant fan-favourite Bruno Guimaraes.

Since travelling to South America to complete the transfer of Guimaraes, Newcastle’s head of recruitment Steve Nickson has spent time in Brazil scouting potential talent, including Andrey Santos and Angelo Gabriel.

But no deals are understood to be close at this stage with Santos himself claiming there is ‘nothing for now’ regarding a potential transfer away from Vasco.

“[I am] happy for everything that is happening,” Santos told Globo Esporte. “The result of a lot of work, everything happening naturally. My parents and my manager help me.

"I know that everything will happen at the right time for my dreams to come true – but there’s nothing for now."