Chelsea suffered yet another snub on Saturday when Neymar, the most sought-after young talent in world football, rejected their advances and agreed to join Real Madrid, instead, according to 'The Sunday Times'.
 
The 19-year-old Brazil forward will cost Jose Mourinho’s team up to £39.5 million (€45 million), dependent on whether he moves to the Bernabeu at the start of the Spanish season or at the end of Santos’s Brazilian campaign in December, it said.
 
Chelsea’s failure to land Neymar despite a series of meetings with the player’s representatives is the latest setback to Roman Abramovich’s attempts to restructure the club around the new manager Andre Villas-Boas.
 
The Blues have now failed in attempts to sign Phil Jones, the England Under 21 international who elected to join Manchester United from Blackburn Rovers, and Theo Walcott, after the Arsenal forward rebuffed their approach.
 
Two bids for Luka Modric of £22m, then £25m rising to £27m, have been dismissed by Harry Redknapp, the Tottenham Hotspur manager, as not “anywhere near what I value him at if he was for sale”.
 
A third offer of £30m, which Chelsea consider their limit for the Croatia playmaker, is expected to receive similarly short shrift regardless of whether Modric submits a formal transfer request, the report added.
 
Florentino Perez, the Real president, has secured “an unbreakable” pre-contract agreement with the striker, who would be liable to pay huge penalty clauses if he attempted to remain in Brazil. Real are currently negotiating the terms of his transfer from Santos, the club he recently led to Copa Libertadores success for the first time in 48 years.