Since Abramovich took over Chelsea, the Blues have become an important force in world football – both on the pitch and in the transfer market. With cash from their bosses, the club managed to elevate itself from a challenger in the Champions League to one of the best teams in Europe. There is no doubt that the transfers during this period will be of great help to the team, such as Drogba and Cech, which are two very successful transfers. Although the club is one of the richest clubs in the world, there are also times when they are unable to complete the transfer due to some external factors. Here we put together a list of eight players who were close to joining Chelsea, but ultimately failed.
Neymar
The Brazilian winger left his home country for Barcelona in 2013, but he could have moved to Chelsea at the time. Back in 2010, when it came to Santos' youngsters, the Blues were already ahead of the curve and keen to arrange a deal. British media reported that Chelsea were close to signing Neymar for £20-25 million, but the move never materialized. In 2020, Neymar's former agent Wagner Ribeiro revealed in an interview that he refused to move to Chelsea and stayed in Brazil. Ribeiro said: "There are a lot of people looking for him. On the day of Neymar's debut in Brazil in 2010, I received an official offer from Chelsea. They made an offer and we did our research, but in the end we didn't make any decisions. On that occasion, we forwarded the offer to Neymar's father and the player himself. "Neymar ended up in Santos for a while until Barcelona finally called.
Ronaldinho
Another Brazilian magician missed by Chelsea, Ronaldinho was a Barcelona player in 2007 when the Blues were furious with him. They see the superstar as missing piece of the puzzle that lost to Manchester United in the previous season' title race. Mourinho is eager for a transfer, while Abramovich is desperate for a deal. The Russian has reportedly even met with Ronaldinho's agent, but Barcelona are not interested in giving up their star. Signing the Brazilian would require a world record fee as his termination clause was £85m, but Abramovich was willing to pay. However, the player told the media: "Not Chelsea or Milan. I want to stay in Barcelona, that's my wish. "At the time, nothing had changed. The following year, he left Barcelona for AC Milan.
Gerrard
Lampard and Gerrard were unable to co-exist in England, but they narrowly became team-mates at the club in 2005. Simply put, Mourinho wants Gerrard and Gerrard wants to join Chelsea – a transfer that seems destined to be finalized. The Liverpool captain has just led the team to win the 2005 Champions League, but a new challenge is appealing, with the chance of joining the Premier League title tempting Gerrard. He submitted a transfer application to Liverpool, saying in a statement: "It was the toughest decision I've ever made. I was totally prepared to sign a new contract after the Champions League final, but the events of the last five or six weeks have changed that. However, his father eventually persuaded him to stay at the club of his childhood, and Gerrard reneged on chelsea. However, Chelsea then continued their dominance in English football, while he never won a Premier League title. Chelsea eventually signed Essien – a good choice.
Aguero
Aguero is a Premier League legend, but if the situation had been slightly different, he could have scored in a different blue shirt. In 2009, Aguero helped Atletico Madrid win the Europa League and beat Fulham in the final, and his form caught the attention of European clubs, not just Chelsea. The Blues then began chasing the Argentine, and it seemed possible to act. There was even a fee agreed between clubs, but the deal hit a bottleneck in terms of Aguero's salary requirements. The player wanted more than Ancelotti's side was willing to offer, so negotiations reached an impasse. They eventually fell apart completely, with Aguero joining City two years later and the rest of history.
Robinho
If Chelsea succeed in signing Robinho, City's first huge signing in the Mansour era could be quite different. When he came to England, even the player thought he was going to join Chelsea and a photo of him wearing a Blues shirt was even published on the club's website. Chelsea's then-chief executive Peter Kenyon travelled to Madrid to negotiate the deal, but the Blues' £26m offer was rejected as Real Madrid insisted on £32m. City then took advantage of the situation, and the Brazilian eventually became Mansour's first big-name player to sign for the club.
Alves
In the Sevilla deal, Alves was actually declared a Chelsea player in August 2007, with the news media revealing that terms and fees had been agreed and that he would travel to Stamford Bridge for £21.5 million. The full-back wanted to leave Sevilla and the club granted his request, but at the last minute, the trade to Chelsea failed and Alves moved to Barcelona. Even Alves thought he had joined Chelsea, but Barcelona's subsequent interest prevented it from happening.
David Silva
David Silva piqued Chelsea's interest while playing for Valencia and in 2010 he almost joined the Premier League giants. In an interview with British media, Silva said of the West London club: "Chelsea have become one of the best clubs in Europe in the last five years. They may not have the history of Real Madrid or Milan, but they are now making their own history. There is no reason why Chelsea cannot succeed as well as Real Madrid in the future. Chelsea probably have the best squad in football as Barcelona, and if a player joins Chelsea, he knows he will win the game. With players like John Terry, Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba in the squad, they have players who can enter any team in the world and it will be a pleasure to play with them. There is no doubt that in my opinion Chelsea will be a great club and a club where I can realize my dream of winning the league and winning the European championship. The Premier League is still my ideal place, and no other league in the world has six or seven Champions League teams. However, Chelsea decided to opt for Benayon, while Silva chose Manchester City, winning 14 trophies at the Etihad.
Pirlo
Like Sarri and Giogenio, Ancelotti is eager to reunite with his former AC Milan disciple Pirlo at Chelsea. Chelsea reportedly submitted an offer for Pirlo but was rejected by the club. Pirlo is also said to have submitted a transfer request to finalize the transfer. In 2014, Pirlo even admitted he was close to joining the Blues in 2009, but the deal never materialized.