Chelsea midfielder Andrey Santos will re-apply for his work permit on his return to London as an Under-20 South American Championship winner.
The £16million January signing from Vasco da Gama scored a crucial 84th-minute header for Brazil in their 2-0 win over Uruguay on Sunday as he captained his country to success.
Santos was also named man of the match in the final as he finished as joint top scorer at the tournament in Colombia, scoring six times from a defensive midfield position.
The 18-year-old was pictured on Monday at Bogota airport heading for London and Chelsea hope that his success for Brazil will help his second work permit application.
Santos missed out on his “special talent” application by just one point last month, having only played in the second division of Brazilian football last season.
Chelsea opted to sign him anyway, amid competition from Paris Sanit-Germain and Newcastle, which now looks like astute business given his heroics for his country.
The Blues have already drafted paperwork for his second work permit application, which will be filed upon him arrival in the UK.
Chelsea manager Graham Potter has agreed for Santos to be part of his first-team squad should the visa application succeed.
If not, there are contingency plans to send him on loan to a Brazilian club playing in the Copa Libertadores, the South American equivalent of the Champions League.
That includes Palmeiras, Internacional, Fluminense, Corinthians, Flamengo, Athletico Paranaense, Fortaleza and Atletico Mineiro.
The transfer window in Brazil remains open until early April.
