West Ham United have reportedly failed with a £45 million bid for Andrey Santos, with Chelsea leaning towards keeping the Brazilian international.

According to Vene Casagrande, Chelsea have rejected a £45 million offer from West Ham United for Andrey Santos. The Hammers are eager to land a quality midfielder in this window, and moving forward, they are not likely to pursue the Brazilian anymore as the Blues are leaning towards keeping the midfielder.

Andrey Santos arrived at Chelsea as a relative unknown from Vasco Da Gama in Brazil. He has had spells away from the club on loan, first back to his old club, then to Nottingham Forest and last season with Chelsea’s sister club Strasbourg.

It was at Strasbourg that he captured the imagination of a lot of teams, as there was sufficient interest before the window opened, particularly from Premier League sides. Chelsea had given no clear indication of their desire to cash in on the midfielder despite his rise in stock, and now they have turned down an important offer for the 21-year-old Chelsea whizkid.

West Ham United have seen a £45 million bid turned down by Chelsea for Santos, with the suggestion that the Blues are leaning towards keeping hold of the 21-year-old whizkid. It’s a bit surprising given Chelsea have one of the best midfield depths in the division.

However, their decision might be due to Romeo Lavia’s inconsistent availability due to ongoing fitness issues, as they would prefer to keep Santos. Hence, they might have suggested to the Hammers to end their pursuit and move on to other targets.

West Ham are eager to sign a new midfielder

West Ham’s pursuit of Santos is unsurprising as they have been looking to sign a new central midfielder. Edson Alvarez could be on the way out, as the Hammers have made their interest known in several other targets, and have already seen a bid rejected by Southampton for Mateus Fernandes.

There are other names on their list, as Graham Potter will want a quality presence in the middle of the park for most parts of the season. It remains to be seen whether West Ham make moves for other targets in the time remaining in the window, as Santos is not for sale.