Former Santos president reveals just how close Neymar was to Chelsea deal
Chelsea were the first of Europe's biggest clubs to make a move for Neymar. In August 2010, coinciding with Neymar's first call-up to the Brazil squad, the Premier League club went on the offensive in a bid to sign Santos' teenage star.
Luis Álvaro de Oliveira (known as Laor), who was Santos president at that time, has revealed Roman Abramovich made an offer of around €30million, which was €5m less than the clause in Neymar's contract.
Laor has explained that Abramovich was to have a meeting with Neymar Sr. and Neymar Jr., with the player's agent, Wagner Ribeiro, a lawyer from the English club and two more Chelsea representatives set to be there.
Overseeing the operation was Kia Joorabchian, who is well-known in Brazil for his involvement with Grupo MSI and Corinthians.
"I knew that Chelsea's offer was going to include school for Neymar's sister, work for the family, card and a load of benefits," Laor said.
The former Santos president asked Neymar Sr. for 15 days to present a counter-offer. This included a career plan for the young forward, which didn't just include his wages and progession, but also his image rights. They formed a group of professionals who would be dedicated to the player 'full-time'.
Santos began to work hand-in-hand with Neymar Sr., looking for additional ways to generate income.
Despite this project, Laor has revealed that Neymar was very close to heading to London: "We knew that Chelsea were going to pick him up at the airport after a game in the south of Brazil, so we sent a car to take Neymar to the home of one of our directors. There he signed the new contract."
