Chelsea midfielder Andrei Santos revealed why he turned down the opportunity to play mega money for Saudi Arabia’s Al Kadosia.
Santos joined Chelsea from Vasco da Gama in January 2023 for around £10 million.
He spent the second half of 2022/23 lending out at the Brazilian club before being loaned out to Nottingham Forest until January 2024.
The 21-year-old didn’t make his blues league debut until last month after lending 2024/25 in Strasbourg.
He was great in France, but thanks to the shapes of Moises Kayseco and Enzo Fernandez, he was unable to break into Enzo Maresca’s Start XI, but club captain Reese James is also a defensive midfield option.
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During the summer transfer, speculation surrounding Santos’ future at Stamford Bridge, with West Ham United reportedly failing with a £45 million bid, while Manchester United and Arsenal were also linked.
Chelsea claims that the Brazilians are not selling, but an offer of £60 million from Saudi outfit Al Kadosia brought them to the negotiation table.
Brazilian outlet Uol reported that Santos defeated Arcadocia anyway, despite being offered about five times his current salary.
Money for the 21-year-old, who is targeting next year’s World Cup and knows he has the chance to build a Carlo Ancelotti team by playing for Chelsea, is not a priority.
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He confirmed a lot this week, admitting that he was offered an important Saudi salary but “quickly declined” the offer.
“The offer arrived, but I immediately declined because of my dreams and my main goal: the World Cup,” Santos told Trivella.
“I know that being in Chelsea and in the Premier League gives me a better chance than Saudi Arabia.
“That was the main factor in my response to them.”
It’s a breath of fresh air to see young talent like Santos turn down the wealth of the Middle East for football reasons.
There’s plenty of football this season for Santos to stake claims about the Brazilian World Cup team’s location.
He played four times this summer when Chelsea won the Club World Cup and left the bench in all three Premier League matches in 2025/26.
There are many opportunities to be impressed as two domestic cup competitions are held along the Champions League football and league calendar.
Kayseko and Fernandez are not common under Maresca.
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