Chelsea chasing Neymar with £25 million
English Premier League Champions Chelsea has reportedly come close to inking a £25 million deal for Neymar da Silva from Brazil. The hype created around the transfer has largely been created due to the undying interest from Chelsea along with Neymar’s apparent indecision as to whether he would join the Champions or not has generated a lot of interest around the world. With the players agent repeatedly telling the press that the striker no longer wants to remain in South America, Chelsea have stepped up their efforts and have had to deal with the wrath of his current club, Santos.
Santos President Luis Alvaro Ribeiro has spoken out against the English giants. He revealed that Santos had rejected Ancelotti’s original bid for £20 million for the 18-year-old Brazilian, but Chelsea had not deterred. According to Ribeiro, the London club had not only increased their bid to £25 million, they had also used other means to try and influence Neymar’s decision. This, in his opinion, had convinced Neymar that he had to leave for Europe to make a name for himself.
Neymar now has his sights set on a move somewhere in Europe - his preferred targets being the elite of Europe. Neymar has been reported to have considered Arsenal, Manchester United, Manchester City, Real Madrid, AC Milan, Juventus, Barcelona and of course, his more persistent admirers, Chelsea. A source from the Chelsea camp revealed that Ancelotti was willing to give whatever it took to get the Brazilian forward at Stamford Bridge this summer.
Neymar wouldn’t be a replacement for anyone as much as he would be a back up. Ancelotti is a smart man, who has no intention of replacing Didier Drogba; the star Ivorian striker. Drogba once again proved to his fans and critics alike that he still has it in him, scoring a hat-trick on the first fixture of the 2010/11 season against West Bromwich Albion which Chelsea went on to win 6-0. Chelsea has an ageing squad and Ancelotti would do well to secure younger players who can be present to take over if the need arises. It would also be preferred to have the younger squad featuring in Cup competitions like the FA Cup and the Carling Cup.
Having secured the double last season, while also winning the golden boot and golden glove, Chelsea is confident they can have Neymar in a Blue shirt by the end of the transfer window. Moreover, Neymar has lived up to the hype created about him. The Brazilian scored a goal in his debut match against the United States and was brilliant throughout the entire match. He has caught the eye of many clubs in Europe with Ancelotti leading the race. Chelsea coach Carlo Ancelotti believes that Neymar would partner well with the recent Brazilian signing in the shape of Ramires. If the deal goes through, Ancelotti would take comfort in knowing that his squad has somewhat been strengthened, especially after the departure of big names like Joe Cole, Michael Ballack, Ricardo Carvalho and Deco.
Ribeiro, Neymar’s agent told reporters that the young striker was not interested in a pay rise at Santos, “It is useless for Santos to offer Neymar a pay rise.” It is fairly clear why Neymar does not want a pay rise at Santos; he would obviously expect to get paid more at Chelsea or any other European club for that matter. Apart from the money, he would get more camera time. That is probably what Ribeiro was referring to when he said, “He wants to become the best player in the world. The chances of him doing that while playing in Brazil are zero.”
The agent went as far as to claim that Chelsea officials had met with the youngster and his father and had discussed the terms of the contract. Ribeiro said that they may have even agreed to some personal terms and it was now just up to Santos to release a statement confirming the transfer. However, the youngster has shown a lot of maturity and remained diplomatic throughout the episode. Despite rumors that he had already agreed to join the Blues, Neymar denied all claims and said that he wished to remain with Santos and win more silverware.
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