Barcelona attempted to negotiate a trade with Chelsea but was unsuccessful in acquiring Andrey Santos. A number of European teams, notably Barcelona and Chelsea, expressed interest in the 21-year-old after his breakthrough at Vasco da Gama. According to a "confidential" rumour from Sport's Wednesday edition, Barca is upset that they were unable to sign the midfield player.
Santos was signed by the Blues in January 2023, but Barca had tried to sign him the year before. Before being named the Camp Nou's sporting director in August 2023, Deco began his career as a consultant. According to Sport, Deco negotiated an agreement for about €1.5 million plus €3.5 million in bonuses with Jorge Salgada, the president of Vasco da Gama at the time, on behalf of Barcelona in February 2022.