Chelsea midfielder Andrey Santos has turned down a huge offer from Saudi Arabia, according to Brazilian outlet UOL.
Journalist Thiago Arantes reported that Al-Qadsiah, a club owned by state oil company Aramco, offered €70m (£59.5m) to sign the 20-year-old. Negotiations were opened with Chelsea, but the player himself rejected the deal.
The Saudis were ready to pay Santos €8m (£6.8m) per year in wages – roughly five times his current salary at Stamford Bridge. However, the midfielder prioritised staying in the Premier League to increase his chances of going to next year’s World Cup.
According to UOL, Santos would only have considered a move to Saudi Arabia if offered double the salary that was put on the table.
For Chelsea, the youngster has so far started just once – in the Club World Cup win over Palmeiras – and has featured as a substitute in all three Premier League matches this season. Enzo Maresca currently prefers Enzo Fernández and Moisés Caicedo as his starting midfield pair.
Santos’ stance is also linked to his international ambitions. He has been named in both squads announced so far by Carlo Ancelotti since the Italian took charge of Brazil.
With Santos unavailable, Al-Qadsiah have since turned to Julian Weigl, signing the German midfielder from Borussia Monchengladbach after his previous spells with Borussia Dortmund and Benfica.
