Price too high for Neymar

Chelsea have told Brazilian club Santos that £45 million is too much for Neymar. The 19-year-old scored one of the goals in his club’s win over Penarol on Wednesday to help his club win the Copa Libertadores.

Neymar is being courted by both the Blues and Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid. However both clubs seem somewhat hesitant to pay such a high transfer fee for such a young player, even such a talented one.

Santos wanted to delay any negotiations until after the final and Madrid and Chelsea are now meeting with Santos officials to discuss a possible transfer. According to the Express an initial offer from Chelsea of £30 million has been turned down. A source said: “Chelsea want Neymar very much, but they will not pay the £45m Santos want”.

Meanwhile Santos president Luis Ribeiro stated: “Neymar is not for sale. We intend to commit him to Brazil for 15 years”. Although it seems his only intent is to drive Neymar’s price tag up.

Earlier this week TalkSport Radio reported that that Neymar may sign a six year deal with Madrid worth £26.75 million and that the transfer fee could be as high as £40 million. But so far no deal has been confirmed.