Chelsea is set to recall midfielder Andrey Santos from his loan at Nottingham Forest due to concerns over his lack of playing time.
Santos generated excitement upon his arrival at Stamford Bridge this summer, and Forest successfully negotiated a loan deal for the 19-year-old on August 25, 2023. However, six days later, Forest secured permanent signings for Ibrahim Sangare and Nicolas Dominguez, totaling nearly £40 million, and the pair have dominated the midfield minutes under Steve Cooper. Consequently, Santos has only accumulated seven minutes of Premier League action.
Expressing dissatisfaction with Santos’ limited playing opportunities, Chelsea sources revealed to 90min that, following discussions with Forest, the club is ready to activate the break clause in the deal and recall Santos in January. Despite Forest manager Cooper acknowledging talks with Chelsea in October regarding Santos’ usage, the Blues are now poised to take action and explore alternative arrangements for the young midfielder after just one cameo appearance.
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Talks are already underway over Santos’ next destination, with Chelsea considering sending the midfielder to sister side Strasbourg in Ligue 1, where young Brazilian winger Angelo has impressed on loan this season.
However, the next move for Santos is complicated by FIFA’s loan rules. Clubs are restricted to seven senior overseas loans and Chelsea have already used up all seven spots, meaning there is currently no space for Santos as it stands.
Romelu Lukaku, Hakim Ziyech, Kepa Arrizabalaga, Angelo, Gabriel Slonina, David Datro Fofana and Diego Moreira are all currently taking up those spots, meaning one loan would have to be cancelled to make space for Santos.
Of that group, it is Moreira’s whose situation is of the biggest concern to Chelsea. The 19-year-old winger, a free transfer from Benfica, has seen just 75 minutes with a Lyon side in crisis and he could be recalled to make space for Santos.