Chelsea star rejects £60m offer from Saudi Arabia to chase World Cup 'dream'

Chelsea midfielder Andrey Santos has disclosed why he dwindled the opportunity to earn voluminous greenback dabbling for Al Qadsiah in Saudi Arabia.
Santos accepted upwards with Chelsea from Vasco da Gama for about £10million in January 2023.
He invested the 2nd fifty percent of 2022/23 on loan at the Brazilian nightclub before being lent out to Premier League opponents Nottingham Woodland until January 2024.
The 21-year-put on didn’t earn his league launching for the Doldrums until last month after investing 2024/25 on loan at Strasbourg.
He was superb in France but has been not able to reprieve into Enzo Maresca’s inauguration XI multifarious thanks to the form of Moises Caicedo and also Enzo Fernandez, while nightclub captain Reece James is also an substitute in defensive midfield.
There was speculation bordering Santos’ future at Stamford Footway throughout the summertime season transfer abode window, with West Ham United reportedly failing with a £45m proposal, while Manchester United and also Integration were also linked.
Chelsea have insisted that the Brazilian isn’t for sale, but a reported £60m provision from Saudi Arabian attire Al Qadsiah guided them to the bargaining table.
Brazilian electric outlet UOL reported that Santos revolved Al Qadsiah down anyway, despite being comfortably available about five times his current wage.
Coinage money is not the priority for the 21-year-put on, who is targeting next year’s Planet Mug and also recognizes dabbling for Chelsea delivers him a more explained opportunity of supplying Carlo Ancelotti’s squad.
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He attested as much this week, confessing that he was comfortably available a voluminous Saudi paycheck but “immediately ridiculed” the provision.
“The provision did receive here, but I immediately ridiculed since of my readiness and also pivot harmonized, which is the Planet Mug,” Santos told Trivela.
“I come to be aware that being at Chelsea and also in the Premier League delivers me more explained odds than in Saudi Arabia.
“That was the pivot component in my activity to them.”
It’s a breath of fresh air to study a young talent like Santos turn down Middle Eastern venerates for footballing justifications.
There’s enough football to be tinkered this season for Santos to threat a case for a room in Brazil’s Planet Mug squad.
He tinkered four times as Chelsea won the Bar Planet Mug this summertime season, and also has come off the pew in unanimously 3 of their Premier League arcades in 2025/26.
With Victors League football and also 2 family mug events running along with the league calendar, there will be plenty of avenues to astonish.
Caicedo and also Fernandez are undroppable under Maresca, which is fair, but Santos appears to be the immediate defensive-midfield ago-upwards.