Arsenal told to pay eye-watering sum to sign Chelsea star in shock transfer

Arsenal have been credited with an interest in Andrey Santos after watching the Chelsea midfielder shine on loan at Strasbourg this season but the Brazilian won't be sold on the cheap

Chelsea could demand as much as £50million for their in-demand midfielder, Andrey Santos, this summer in the wake of interest from a host of clubs across Europe, including Arsenal.

Santos, 21, has yet to make a senior appearance for the Blues but has made a significant impression on loan with the Londoners' sister club, Strasbourg this season. And after notching 10 goals across 32 Ligue 1 appearances this term, Chelsea should be presented with ample opportunity to turn a quick profit on the Brazilian if they wish to do so.

Interest from Arsenal in Santos emerged this month and it's said that Paris Saint-Germain are also pursuing the youngster in case he comes onto the market this summer.

A new report from Sport claims that is likely to be the case with Chelsea open to cashing in on Santos - as long as his suitors are willing to splash out £50m in order to land him.

That would represent a significant profit on the £18m Chelsea parted with to sign the midfield maestro from Vasco da Gama. While Santos may have plenty of suitors, it remains to be seen if the likes of Arsenal would be willing to meet those demands.

Enzo Maresca was non-committal recently when the possibility of Santos featuring in the first team at Stamford Bridge next season was raised in a press conference.

The Italian responded: “Now, we know that Andrey is doing well. But in this moment, we are just focused about how we finish this season. And then when we finish this season, we're going to start to think about next season.“

Todd Boehly, Chelsea's co-owner, was more enthusiastic about Santos' chances of featuring for the club's first-team moving forward during an appearance at the Qatar Economic Forum this week.

Hinting that Santos would play at the upcoming Club World Cup, Boehly said: “We are laser focused on the Club World Cup. We have some players that are joining us [like] Andrey Santos. We are really excited about him and what he can add to the squad.“

Santos himself was unsure what next season would bring when he was asked last month, saying: “I don't think a specific decision has been made. No-one has come to talk to me directly. Everything is in the hands of the club and my agents.“