Manchester United have agreed a £50m deal with Chelsea for their Brazilian midfielder Andrey Santos.
The deal has progressed quickly in the past few hours after United made their interest known over the weekend.
United will pay an initial £48m for Santos, with an additional £2m in what are described as ‘achievable’ add-ons. Chelsea have also negotiated a 10% sell-on clause.
Santos has been cleared for a medical, with fellow countryman Ederson also scheduled to have one before completing his £35m move from Italian side Atalanta following Brazil’s elimination from the World Cup.
The news comes as United’s senior players prepare to return for pre-season training on Thursday and goes part way to addressing what was becoming a major issue.
United prioritised central midfield this summer following the exit of Casemiro when the veteran former Real Madrid man’s contract came to an end. Manuel Ugarte was set to be sold but the Uruguay international has been ruled out for an extended period with cruciate knee ligament damage.
However, their hopes of signing Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest faded when it became apparent it would cost in excess of £110m.
United turned their attention to West Ham’s Mateus Fernandes but he joined Tottenham instead after the north London outfit offered a guaranteed £85m.
With Kobbie Mainoo still at the World Cup with England, United faced opening their pre-season campaign against Wrexham in Helsinki on 18 July with Mason Mount as the only recognised senior midfielder in Michael Carrick’s squad.
Santos is set to become Chelsea’s third significant departure of the summer after Marc Cucurella was sold to Real Madrid and Tyrique George left for Everton.