Chelsea are still in the frame to land Santos star Neymar. The Guardian says Chelsea could be outbid by Real Madrid for the signature of Neymar unless they pay 45m (£39.7m) to Santos, according to a source closely involved in negotiations for the striker.
After reports in Spain on Tuesday stated that a deal to take Neymar to Madrid was near completion, the insider said: "If Chelsea will not pay 45m he will go to Real."
Neymar is Chelsea's prime summer target, so to miss out on a forward who has scored three goals in five Brazil appearances would cause severe frustration for the owner, Roman Abramovich. Whether the billionaire would be prepared to pay nearly £40m for a player who only made his first-team debut in 2009 and is an unproven force in European football is questionable as Chelsea were not prepared to comment.
Asked if there was sense that the Russian would be prepared to finance the deal, the source said: "No. 45m is a lot for a boy of 19."
