Newcastle to beat Barcelona to signing of young Brazilian midfielder

Barcelona are going to miss out on Vasco de Gama's Andrey Santos, the midfielder who is shining in Brazil. The Catalan club had been interested Santos but Newcastle, according to 'The Northern Echo', are in advanced negotiations to sign the young star and will try to close the deal in the coming weeks. Their good relationship with the player's agents has tipped the balance in their favour.

Santos, 18, has been on Barça's radar for months. All the scouting reports were favorable because the youngster had already exploded at a professional level and a move to Europe seemed imminent. His position as a pivot in front of the defense made him extremely attractive to Barça, who met with his agents, Giluliano Bertolucci and Kia Joorabchian, to find out the terms of a possible transfer. Barça's difficult financial situation hindered their approach, though, and Newcastle have taken advantage of the opportunity to make their move.

Santos renewed with Vasco de Gama until 2027, with a release clause of €40 million. However, the Brazilan side were willing to lower the price if the player stayed on loan for six months in his himeland, until June, something that Newcastle accepted. The English club also has Brazilian Bruno Guimaraes on their squad, who shares agents with Andrey Santos, which has greatly facilitated the talks.