Chelsea are reportedly set ‘to recall Andrey Santos in January’ from Nottingham Forest, after he joined the club on a season-long loan earlier this summer.
The 19-year-old has only made one Premier League appearance since joining Steve Cooper’s side, coming on for seven minutes during Forest’s 3-0 defeat by Liverpool at Anfield back in October, while also playing 90 minutes during their 1-0 defeat by Burnley in the EFL Cup in August.
According to The Athletic, Mauricio Pochettino’s side ‘will recall the defensive midfielder in January’ and can ‘end Santos’ loan early by triggering a break clause in his contract.’
The outlet also reports that ‘Strasbourg hold an interest in taking Santos on loan in the second half of the season’.
Chelsea had bought Santos for £18million earlier this summer from Brazilian club Vasco de Gama, after the young prodigy had caught the attention of several big clubs around Europe.
He immediately went out on loan to Forest, with reports suggesting Chelsea had initially offered him as part of a swap deal for Brennan Johnson.
But according to The Athletic, the Blues have not yet notified Cooper’s side of their desire to bring him back to Stamford Bridge.
The Forest manager has also, per the same report, spoken to Chelsea and claimed that Santos would be offered more game time.
Should the 19-year-old, who has already made his debut for the Brazil senior side, return to Chelsea, Pochettino’s team may have to seek a domestic loan for him, with the club having already reached their maximum limit of players out on international loan deals.
Forest are back in action against Everton in the Premier League this weekend, while Chelsea will look to bounce back from their 4-1 defeat by Newcastle against Brighton on Sunday.
