Chelsea have agreed to loan Deivid Washington to Santos and he will undergo a medical in the next few days according to Fabrizio Romano.
The club took the decision not to invest in a striker in January as they felt there were a lack of good value options available and they are now paying the ultimate price.
The Blues are in the midst of a striker crisis with both Marc Guiu and Nicolas Jackson sidelined with injury, leaving Christopher Nkunku as their only option, unless Maresca plays a winger as a false nine.
Washington set to undergo Santos medical
It’s unclear how long Guiu will be sidelined for, but Jackson is set to be out until April with a hamstring injury, and it’s up to Maresca to come up with a solution.
Chelsea may have to look to their academy with Shim Mheuka the obvious choice, although it’s clear he isn’t ready to lead the line for the first team, despite making his debut against Astana in the Conference League.
One player who could have been given a chance is Washington, but he’s been overlooked all season and is now set to leave the club.
The 19-year-old helped Brazil win the U20 South American Championship, scoring three goals in seven matches and he’s now set to join Santos on loan and link up with Neymar.
Romano took to X.com and said:
“Deivid Washington will undergo medicals in the next days to join Santos on loan from Chelsea, as planned since January. Documents in place as Chelsea saved a spot for Deivid’s loan considered key for his development.”
The Blues paid €20m for Santos back in the summer of 2023, but the teenager has barely had a look in, playing just 25 minutes across three substitute appearances for the first team under Mauricio Pochettino.
Fans may well question why he wasn’t given an opportunity, but the reality is Washington will likely be sold in the summer and the Blues will want him playing regularly so they can recoup as much of the fee they invested as possible.
