Agent Reveals That Chelsea Put in an Offer for Neymar Before Barcelona Transfer

Neymar's former agent Wagner Ribeiro has claimed, in an interview with Brazilian media outlet ​UOL Esporte, that Chelsea wanted to buy the player before he moved to Barcelona.

The super agent also claims that he wanted Neymar (Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior) to move to Real Madrid, as in his eyes it made more financial sense for the young Brazilian star to go there:

​"I took proposals from Chelsea and Real Madrid to Santos," claimed Ribeiro.

"I wanted him to go to Real Madrid and I have always said that. It was a good proposal economically and the best for Santos. It was the best for the player too".

However, he revealed that Neymar was never interested in offers from Chelsea or Real Madrid, claiming that the superstar always had his heart set on a transfer to the Camp Nou:

"He decided to go to Barcelona because it was the team of his heart," claimed Ribeiro.

Ribeiro is no longer Neymar's agent after the players father took over as he reached senior level:

"I was his agent since he was 12 and I negotiated two contracts for him with Santos. But when he grew up, his Father took control of everything through his companies," said Ribeiro.

Ribeiro is one of the biggest agents in football and used to manage Robinho, but currently manages players such as Lucas Moura, Lucas Lima and Gabigol.

Despite picking a move to the Camp Nou over Stamford Bridge, no one can question Neymar's decision now as he has gone on to prove himself as one of the world's greatest players.

During his time at Barcelona Neymar has already been nominated for the Ballon d'Or in 2016, where he ended up ranking as the world's fifth best player, behind only Cristaino Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Antoine Griezmann and Luis Suarez.