Mauricio Pochettino is impressed by young Chelsea midfielder Andrey Santos and is increasingly considering keeping him at the club next season.
The 19-year-old is one of a host of players currently auditioning for Pochettino’s squad in pre-season and wants to avoid another campaign out on loan.
Chelsea executives have high hopes for their £18million January signing from Vasco da Gama and believe he is ready, with a work permit now secured.
However, the final decision rests with Pochettino, who wants to look at a host of his young stars before deciding whether or not they are ready for Chelsea’s first team.
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“We will see what happens in the next few weeks and when we come back to England we will decide the future of these young players who maybe have a future here, some can maybe be part of the squad,” he explained after Santos excelled in the 5-0 win over Wrexham in North Carolina.
Cesare Casadei was Santos’ midfield partner on Wednesday night and also impressed amid loan interest from Leicester.
Ian Maatsen also declared his desire to stay at Chelsea after scoring twice against Wrexham but Burnley have now been joined by West Ham in pursuing him on a permanent transfer.
“I hope to come back here and show the fans and the manager what I am capable of,” Maatsen said.
Chelsea continue to weigh up an increased £80m bid for Brighton midfielder Moises Caicedo, who will face his suitors in Saturday’s pre-season fixture in Philadelphia.
Conor Gallagher could leave to make room for Caicedo and the next generation of Chelsea midfielders as Tottenham and West Ham are both interested in the England international.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang completed a medical on Thursday and is on the verge of joining Marseille as both Nottingham Forest and Fulham weigh up a move for Callum Hudson-Odoi.
