Barcelona were one of the clubs who tried to reach a deal, but missed out on signing Andrey Santos to Chelsea.
The 21-year-old’s rise at Vasco da Gama attracted interest from several European clubs, including Barcelona and Chelsea.
A ‘confidential’ report from Wednesday’s edition of Sport indicates Barca are disappointed that they missed out on the midfielder.
The Blues signed Santos in January 2023 and a year before that, Barca made attempts to secure his services. Deco started as a consultant before being appointed as the sporting director at the Camp Nou in August 2023.
In February 2022, Sport report Deco negotiated on behalf of Barcelona with then Vasco da Gama president, Jorge Salgada, a deal around €1.5m plus €3.5m bonuses.
The parties didn’t reach an agreement, and Barca were disappointed, especially because their scouting department had rated Santos highly. The Brazilian club then sold him to Chelsea for €12.5m.
Sanots struggled during his loan spells at Vasco da Gama and Nottingham Forest in 2023. The west London club let him join RC Strasbourg on loan in February 2024 and he’s starred in France.
Sport state the Chelsea man is attracting interest from Bayern Munich and others. They add his valuation has increased and €50m plus €10m in bonuses is needed to snatch him from the English club.
Taking his development and valuation into account, it’s no surprise Barca are gutted to have missed out on signing Santos.
