CBS Sports journalist Ben Jacobs has revealed that Newcastle United have 'given up' on trying to sign Andrey Santos, as he is 'very close' to joining Chelsea.

The Lowdown: Offer made

French news outlet Le10sport reported back in November that the St. James' Park outfit were one of five clubs to have made an offer for Santos ahead of the January transfer window.

The central midfielder has been dubbed the ‘new Bruno Guimaraes’ in Brazil, but PSG were thought to be working on a potential deal ‘behind the scenes’.

However, Italian football journalist and transfer expert Fabrizio Romano shared an update on Santos on Thursday afternoon, claiming that Chelsea actually have a 'full agreement' in place to sign Santos from Brazilian club Vasco da Gama in January for around €20m (£17.6m).

The Latest: Newcastle have 'given up'

Replying to a Chelsea supporter on Twitter, Jacobs revealed that Santos' proposed move to Stamford Bridge is 'very close', adding that the Magpies have 'given up' hope of signing him:

"Told Santos is very close now. Newcastle have given up, too."

[web_stories_embed url="https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/newcastle-news-7/" title="Newcastle news!" poster="" width="360" height="600" align="none"]

The Verdict: Blow

It is certainly a blow for the North East club to lose out on such a promising young talent in Santos to one of their Premier League rivals.

Hailed as a ‘monster’ physically by Brazilian legend Juninho, Santos has also been likened to one of the greats of the game in Sergio Busquets (Goal), at the tender age of just 18.

He has already played 37 senior games for his club, scoring eight goals (Transfermarkt), and looks set to be one of the next big rising stars in Brazil.

Nonetheless, the comparisons to Bruno Guimaraes will only hurt Toon supporters even more after failing to sign him.