Chelsea midfielder Andrey Santos confirms that he has recently rejected an offer to sign for a Saudi Pro League club.
Chelsea midfielder Andrey Santos has confirmed that he had the opportunity to move to the Saudi Pro League this summer.
Santos has just started his first full campaign at Stamford Bridge having been provided with the chance to develop at fellow BlueCo-owned club Strasbourg.
His performances merited inclusion in Enzo Maresca's plans for 2025-26 and the 21-year-old has subsequently featured in Chelsea's opening three Premier League matches of the season.
However, reports emerged earlier this week that Saudi Pro League side Al Quadisiya were prepared to offer Santos a contract worth five times more than he is earning in West London.
Furthermore, Al Quadisiya were allegedly willing to spend in the region of £60m on Santos, an indication that he would realistically become the star player of a team that finished in fourth position last season.
Santos comments on Saudi Arabia links
The same report claimed that the former Vasco Da Gama starlet had turned down the chance to move to the Middle East due to not wanting to damage his hopes of making the Brazil squad for next year's World Cup.
Speaking to Trivela after Selecao recorded a 3-0 victory over Chile on Thursday night, Santos admitted that his future with the national team played a considerable part in his decision.
Santos said: "The offer did arrive, but I immediately declined because of my dream and main goal, which is the World Cup.
"I know that being at Chelsea and in the Premier League gives me better chances than in Saudi Arabia. That was the main factor in my response to them."
Was transfer for Santos ever realistic?
With Santos having five years left on his contract at Chelsea, the world champions were always in control of the player's fate when it came to a potential transfer.
Giving the opportunity to make what would have been a profit somewhere in the region of £45m on Santos, Chelsea's hierarchy would have had their reasons for giving the proposal serious thought.
From a pure footballing perspective, though, Santos is already viewed as chief backup to Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez by Maresca and regular starts will surely follow for the three-cap Brazil international.
As it stands, Santos has accumulated 48 minutes of Premier League football for Chelsea ahead of their next fixture, the short trip to Brentford on September 13.
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Darren Plant