Chelsea are reportedly prepared to use Andrey Santos as part of a potential deal for Nottingham Forest attacker Brennan Johnson.
Last week, the Blues stepped up their transfer business by completing the signings of Romeo Lavia and Moises Caicedo.
After strengthening in the middle of the park, Chelsea quickly turned their focus to bolstering their options in the final third.
They were pushing to recruit Michael Olise from Crystal Palace, before their pursuit was ended by the player's decision to sign a long-term contract with the Eagles.
A recent report claimed that Chelsea were set to pursue a deal for Johnson after identifying the Forest man as a potential target.
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Johnson has been attracting interest after enjoying a successful 2022-23 campaign, scoring 10 goals and providing three assists in 44 competitive appearances.
Forest have already turned down bids from Brentford this summer, and they are now seemingly bracing themselves for an approach from Chelsea.
According to the Daily Mail, the Blues are considering whether to utilise Santos in a deal for the Wales international.
The report claims that the idea of offering Santos on loan to Forest as well as cash appeals to some staff at Chelsea.
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While it remains to be seen whether Forest would be open to the deal, the Tricky Trees are looking to strengthen in midfield.
Forest recently submitted a £30m bid for Monaco's Youssouf Fofana, but the Frenchman is holding out for other options, having been linked with Chelsea, Liverpool and West Ham United.
As a result, Forest could be tempted to take Santos on a loan deal, with the Brazilian looking to gain regular playing time.
Santos is still waiting to make his debut for the club after being an unused substitute in the opening-day draw against Liverpool and left out of the squad for Sunday's defeat to West Ham.
