Chelsea Transfer News: Neymar Going Nowhere, Say Santos as Manchester City Offer Blank Check

Feb 08, 2013 03:31 AM EST
Neymar Brazil
Brazilian forward Neymar during the international friendly against England at Wembley, February 6"

 

Santos have vehemently denied any chance of Chelsea target Neymar moving to Europe next season, after reports suggested Manchester City were ready to make a move in the summer.

Neymar is one of the most wanted players, and has been tipped to take over from the likes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo as the world's best player in the near future.

The 21-year-old was unimpressive in the international friendly for Brazil against England, but despite that performance at Wembley, a report in Spanish newspaper Mundo Deportivo suggested City were ready to offer Santos a blank check for Neymar.

The Brazilian youngster has previously stated he will leave the club only after the 2014 World Cup in his home country, if at all.

Santos president Luis Alvaro de Oliveria Ribeiro insisted the club would reject all offers for their star player.

"I anticipate my answer to any bids that might come: the answer is no," he said. "Neymar will stay at Santos until 2014, and I hope that he'll continue here for even longer."

Manchester City are desperate to add to their attacking ranks next season, with the English Premier League title seemingly out of their hands as rivals United continue to hold a sizeable nine-point lead.

City are also out of Europe, so the prospect of a season without silverware looms large, which is why Roberto Mancini and co. are desperate to land one of the biggest players in the world.

Chelsea are also in the market for Neymar, who fits Roman Abramovich's new policy of bringing in young talented playmakers, perfectly.

However, if Ribeiro has his way, Neymar, who is one of the highest paid players thanks mainly due to sponsors, is going nowhere even after the 2014 WC.

"I have a very clear base to why Neymar stayed here, resisting offers from the Spanish clubs (Barcelona and Real Madrid, in 2011), for one basic reason: he's happy," Ribeiro added.

"He costs us a relatively modest amount of money, given his talent. His presence translates into intangible gains, like our fan base growing 20 percent in the last two years."

Ribeiro is determined to follow the path of former Santos president Athie Jorge Coury, who rebuffed the advances of clubs around the world for the legendary Pele.

"It's the repetition of the phenomenon experienced in the 50s and 60s, when Pele attracted a legion of new fans, that went beyond the limits of the city.

"Repeating history is not very creative, but what Athie did with Pele has inspired me."

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