Neymar 'set to join Chelsea'
Santos forward Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior (‘Neymar’) is on the verge of signing for English Premier League champions Chelsea, it was reported today.
Brazilian newspaper Folha de Sao Paulo said that representatives of Santos, Chelsea and the player along with Neymar himself attended a meeting in New York where it was agreed that the new Brazil international cap will play for the Blues in the 2010-11 campaign.
Along with Neymar and his father, Santos president Luiz Alvaro de Oliveira Ribeiro, Chelsea chairman Bruce Buck and agents Pini Zahavi and Wagner Ribeiro were reported to be at the meeting where a 25 million euro move was rubber-stamped. The player is now expected to make the transfer official in the next few days.
Chelsea have been looking to tie up a deal for the player during the close season and had a bid of 20 million euros rejected by Santos earlier this summer. In the 2010 season so far, he has scored 27 times in 32 total games – an incredible return for any player let alone an 18-year-old – and has attracted the interest of clubs such as Manchester City, Inter Milan and Real Madrid before the report of the Chelsea deal emerged.
Valuable versatility
The versatile Neymar can play as either a striker or a winger and would prove valuable to Chelsea as the EPL’s new 25-man squad rules come into play. As he is aged under 21, Neymar would not have to be named among the 25 players and would be able to feature for the squad. In addition, he may help the club achieve its quota of having at least eight ‘home-grown’ players in the squad if he is still at Stamford Bridge at the time of his 21st birthday.
Neymar made his debut for Brazil this week in a friendly against the United States under new national team coach Mano Menezes. He opened the scoring as he headed home a cross from Andre Santos and was heavily involved in most of the team’s attacking moves as Brazil went on to win 2-0.
Tags: