Although the 2022/23 season finishing feels just weeks ago, preparations for the following campaign are already well underway with Chelsea beginning pre-season in ten days. The priority at Stamford Bridge is sanctioning incomings and outgoings in the transfer market with frequent updates occurring over the last week.
N'Golo Kante was the first Blues player to move on as he joined Al-Ittihad in Saudi Arabia on a free transfer. Over £40 million also looks set to be raised through the sales of Hakim Ziyech, Kalidou Koulibaly and Edouard Mendy to clubs in Saudi.
Sales were crucial this summer to balance the financial books and solve the bloated squad problem but the bulk of funds being generated comes from Kai Havertz and his £65m move to Arsenal. Mateo Kovacic will take the Blues' windfall above £100m amid his impending £30m transfer to Manchester City.
Permanent departures for returning loan stars including Romelu Lukaku, Ian Maatsen and Callum Hudson-Odoi also look likely to happen, but a select few will be integrated into the first-team squad. One of those will be Andrey Santos, who joined the club in the January transfer window from Vasco da Gama in an £18m move.
A different league format means their current campaign is still ongoing, but Santos will soon return to SW6 after also competing in the under-20 World Cup.
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The 19-year-old helped his country reach the quarter-finals before they were knocked out by Israel in a 3-2 defeat. With his second spell at Vasco now coming to an end, Santos took to social media to pay tribute to his boyhood club and wish them well for the rest of the campaign.
On Instagram, Santos' message, translated from Brazilian to English, said: “Didn’t turn out as we expected… but I’ll always be cheering, and I’m sure better days are coming.” With a work permit now in place, Santos' journey in England will begin very soon with Pochettino said to be a big fan of the player ahead of pre-season, when he will be offered chances to impress.
