Chelsea have £17m bid for Brazil wonderkid rejected
Published 23:00 20/07/10 By Martin Lipton
Chelsea were last night being linked with a £17m move for Santos striker Neymar after the Sao Paulo club issued a statement insisting they had rejected Chelsea's bid.
The club said: "Santos FC states that we received in the late morning of Tuesday July 20 an official offer from Chelsea FC of England for Neymar's economic rights.
Neymar da Silva Scouting Report
"President Luis Alvaro de Oliveira Ribeiro has already submitted a response to the English club thanking them for their interest and reiterating that Santos FC have no interest in opening trading."
Sources in Brazil, however, suggested that was a bargaining position and that a bid of £21m could change the situation for a club that would only receive 60 per cent of any sale price with the remainder going to the private company that owns the other 40 per cent of the player's economic rights.
West Ham have also chased the teenager, whose agent, Wagner Ribeiro, has told Santos he wants to see their long-term plans if they wish to keep the 18-year-old in Brazil.
The agent said: "He must be treated in a special way. Neymar can be soon the best player in the world."
Neymar da Silva Scouting Report - Everything you need to know about the Brazilian starlet
