Manchester United are on the verge of signing Andrey Santos, so United In Focus compiles a list of six players the Reds signed from Chelsea, dating back as far as 1963.
Andrey Santos is on the verge of signing for Manchester United after an agreement over a £48m deal was reached with Chelsea on Wednesday.
The 22-year-old made 43 appearances for Chelsea last season, including 27 in the Premier League. Still, he is seeking more game time after being placed behind Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez in the pecking order at Stamford Bridge.
Without further ado, United In Focus dives into the history of players who traded the blue shirt for red.
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Graham Moore
In 1963, Sir Matt Busby signed Graham Moore from Chelsea in a deal worth £35,000.
The inside-forward struggled at Old Trafford and made just 19 appearances for the Reds, scoring five goals, before joining Northampton Town midway through the 1965/66 season.
Moore earned 21 caps for the Wales national team and died on 9 February, 2016.
Alex Stepney
It took a then-world record fee of £55,000 for a goalkeeper to secure Alex Stepney’s signature from Chelsea.
This signing proved successful as he helped United win the First Division in 1967 and the European Cup a year later, just 10 years after the Munich Air Disaster, when Harry Gregg was Busby’s first-choice goalkeeper.
Stepney wasn’t just a brilliant keeper, but he was also a top servant to the club, playing under several managers following Busby’s retirement.
He made a total of 539 appearances for United across all competitions between 1966 and 1978.
Ray Wilkins
The late Ray Wilkins, who was affectionately known as “Butch”, left Chelsea for United in 1979.
Wilkins spent five years at Old Trafford after Dave Sexton swooped in to sign the midfielder for £825,000.
He made 194 senior appearances for United, scoring 10 goals, with the 1983 FA Cup being the only major trophy he won at the club.
United would cash in on Wilkins in 1983 when AC Milan came looking for his services.
Juan Mata
Despite being a key player at Chelsea, Juan Mata fell out of favour under Jose Mourinho. That led to David Moyes swooping in to complete a deal that was the club’s record transfer at the time, costing £37.1m.
Arriving on a helicopter at Carrington, Mata spent eight and a half years at United.
The World Cup winner made 285 appearances in a United shirt. He also won the FA Cup, Europa League, and Carabao Cup during his stint at Old Trafford.
Nemanja Matic
Having just won the Premier League title with Chelsea, United signed Nemanja Matic for £40m in 2017.
Then-manager Mourinho was the driving force behind the deal, having previously re-signed the defensive midfielder for Chelsea from Benfica in 2014.
Matic won United’s Goal of the Season award in 2017/18 for a screamer against Crystal Palace. He also made the Europa League Team of the Season in 2022/23.
Following the expiry of Matic’s contract in 2022, he signed for Roma.
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Mason Mount
The most recent player to transfer from Chelsea to United is Mason Mount in a £60m deal in 2023, despite having just one year left on his contract.
Mount has struggled to cement a place in the team due to injuries. The England international hasn’t been able to catch a break, though he received plenty of praise from former coaches Erik ten Hag and Ruben Amorim, both of whom were unable to get the best out of him.
The jury is still out on Mount, though he was part of the FA Cup-winning side in 2024.
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