March 02, (THEWILL) – Chelsea have confirmed that Andrey Santos, has returned to Vasco da Gama on loan.
The midfielder joined Chelsea from the Brazilian side for around £18m in January but failed to obtain a work permit to play in England due to post-Brexit rules.
The move began with an initial plan to send Santos to Palmeiras on loan to aid his chances of securing a permit, but talks collapsed over Chelsea’s determination to maintain the option to recall Santos in the summer.
Now, a deal has been struck with Santos’ former side Vasco, who confirmed that the 18-year-old had signed a deal to return to the club until the end of June. Vasco, who were promoted to Brazil’s top flight last season, hopes to provide Santos with the experience needed to obtain a work permit before the start of the 2023/2024 English Premier League season.
Meanwhile, Chelsea are keen to ensure that Santos gets to feature at the Under-20 World Cup in May, which would boost his chances of qualifying for a work permit. Santos will also continue linking up with former Shakhtar forward, Alex Teixeira and 41-year-old Nene, formerly of PSG and West Ham, back at Vasco.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
