Manchester United are plotting an ‘ambitious’ move for Chelsea star Andrey Santos in the January transfer window, according to reports.
The Red Devils are keen to recruit a midfielder and have a six-man wishlist which includes Santos and three other Premier League stars.
Chelsea are thought to value Santos at over £60m, having rejected an offer of that figure from Saudi club Al-Qadsiah in the summer for the Brazilian.
The 21-year-old is now an ‘ambitious’ transfer target for the Red Devils, talkSPORT have reported.
It is said that United asked about Santos in the summer when they were in talks with Chelsea over Alejandro Garnacho.
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Santos has played nine games for the Blues so far this term after an impressive loan spell with Chelsea’s sister club Strasbourg last season.
While Chelsea insist Santos is not for sale, United ‘will be alert’ if the west London side change their minds and decide to let him leave Chelsea.
Santos is one of six midfielders United are monitoring as Ruben Amorim looks to strengthen his squad.
Man Utd’s six-man midfielder shortlist revealed
Along with Santos, United are understood to be interested in Brighton’s Carlos Baleba and Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton.
The fourth Premier League midfielder on United’s wishlist is Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson.
But United are also looking at players across Europe – including Atletico Madrid’s Conor Gallagher.
It is believed that the Englishman is a more feasible name to recruit mid-season compared to United’s other midfield targets.
The six and final name on United’s current wishlist is Stuttgart’s Angelo Stiller.
Stiller is ‘very open’ to a move to United and Stuttgart will demand more than €50m (£43m) for the Germany international, according to reports.
He would an interesting addition at Old Trafford given he is not a tough tackler like Casemiro or Manuel Ugarte.
Stiller would offer Amorim something different – with his strong positioning and playmaking ability.
The 24-year-old was named in The Athletic’s Bundesliga Team of the Season in 2024 and helped Stuttgart clinch the DFB-Pokal trophy in 2025.