Agent: 'Chelsea tried to sign Neymar in 2010'

Chelsea tried to sign Neymar before the Brazil international joined Barcelona from Santos, according to the attacker's former agent Wagner Ribeiro.

Neymar scored 136 goals in 224 appearances for Santos before completing a move to Barca in 2013, spending four seasons with the Spanish giants ahead of a switch to Paris Saint-Germain.

Ribeiro has claimed that Chelsea attempted to sign the South American in 2010, but the Blues were ultimately unsuccessful.

"There were many calls for him. I received an official offer from Chelsea the day Neymar debuted with the Brazilian team in 2010. They made an offer, we studied it, but in the end we didn't decide anything. On that occasion, we transferred it to Neymar's father and the player himself," AS quotes Ribeiro as saying.

Neymar's future is again the subject of much speculation with both Barca and Real Madrid being linked with his services ahead of the 2020-21 campaign.

As well as scoring close to 300 goals at club level, the attacker has managed 53 strikes in 83 caps for the Brazilian national team.