Ex-Barcelona Superstar Considered Joining Chelsea When He Was 17, Reveals Player’s Former Agent

Premier League club Chelsea reportedly considered signing a 17-year-old Neymar for just $31 million, the Brazil star’s former agent Wagner Ribiero has revealed.

Back in 2010 while playing for Santos, Neymar grabbed attention when he made his national debut. His agent at the time, Ribiero, in a recent interview has also disclosed that The Blues were one of several top-flight European clubs that had enquired Santos about the striker’s availability. He further said that while a move to Stamford Bridge was considered before Neymar and his representatives changed their mind and decided the player would continue at Santos, keeping in mind his development as he had just started his career.

“There were many calls for him. I received an official offer from Chelsea the day Neymar debuted with the Brazilian team in 2010. They made an offer, we studied it, but in the end, we didn't decide anything. On that occasion, we transferred it to Neymar's father and the player himself. Then came other offers from Bayern Munich and Juventus with whom I had a meeting in Turin,” Ribiero told AS in a recent interview.

Chelsea were the reigning Premier League champions and had Neymar signed with them in 2010, he would have played under the iconic manager, Carlo Ancelotti.

FC Barcelona went on to sign Neymar three years after Chelsea had first approached Santos. The Brazilian superstar formed Barcelona’s legendary ‘MSN’ front line alongside Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez. The three not only struck on the field but also off the field as they are believed to be great friends, even today, three years after Neymar leaving for Nou Camp for Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in a controversial manner.

In the middle of the 2017 pre-season, it was announced that the Ligue 1 side had signed Neymar for a world-record transfer fee of $248m.

While Neymar clinched two La Liga titles and the Champions League 2014-15 with Barcelona, he has won two league titles with PSG so far. While the French side is doing everything to ensure the Brazil star does not leave Paris, Neymar has made up his mind of returning to Nou Camp. Last year, Barcelona tried to re-sign Neymar but were put off by the player’s transfer fee label at PSG.