Chelsea target Neymar going nowhere, insists Santos president
Published 11:00 30/03/11 By MirrorFootball
Chelsea target Neymar will not be leaving Brazilian side Santos, according to club president Luis Alvaro Ribeiro de Oliveira.
The 19-year-old forward has long been linked with a switch to Chelsea and there are reports Blues owner Roman Abramovich was ready to sanction a £30m swoop for him this summer after failing with a bid last year.
Speculation intensified after the youngsters starring role in Brazil's 2-0 win over Scotland on Sunday, in which he scored both goals.
The player himself said a transfer to Chelsea was his "dream".
But Ribeiro says his star player will be going nowhere.
"Playing in England is not the same as playing in Vila Belmiro. It is much worse, because of the climate and the style of football which he is unaccustomed to," he told ESPN.
"We have demonstrated that, as he has developed into a player who represents the best of Brazilian football - being audacious, skillful, effective, attacking - he is going to become a key figure in the history of Brazilian football."
Ribeiro claimed Neymar did not leave to come to Europe to realise his full potential.
"He is going to gain international recognition, and maybe get chosen as the best player in the world, playing in Brazil. This is something that hasn't happened since Pele's day, and he has a golden chance," he said.
