Neymar
Neymar: Staying at Santos, apparently.

Chelsea target Neymar was tempted into making a move to Real Madrid by former Brazilian star Ronaldo, according to Santos president Luis Alvaro de Oliveira Ribeiro, with the youngster eventually deciding to stay in South America for now at least.

Neymar recently signed a contract with Santos to keep him at the club until after the 2014 Brazil World Cup. The striker has long been targeted by big clubs across Europe, particularly after his performances for the Brazil international team this year.

And while Chelsea had a bid turned down for the 19 year old, Ribeiro has revealed that Ronaldo acted as an agent for Neymar and tried to convince him to join Madrid for a big-money fee.

"Ronaldo was the first to speak with Real Madrid and then after that people from the club arrived from Spain," Ribeiro told Folha de Sao Paulo.

"He came to me with an offer, but it was well below the buy-out clause [of around €45 million].

"He has stopped being a footballer and he quickly turned into a businessman.

"I think he wanted to earn money, it's his right. I don't want to earn money. He does.

"We do not act in the same area as the agents. Our job is to ensure Neymar enjoys a successful career."

Santos have turned their back on a number of bids for Neymar, including Barcelona as well as Chelsea and Madrid.

Though the starlet has admitted that playing for Chelsea would be a 'dream come true', Neymar insisted he didn't regret turning down the Blues' offer, and has said that he wants to further develop his skills before moving to a bigger club.

While Carlo Ancelotti revealed he was a big fan of Neymar, Andre Villas-Boas may not be so keen on spending big on the hitman, who has scored 39 times for Santos and eight times for Brazil so far.

But he would fit into Chelsea's current youth orientated policy, which has seen the club purchase the likes of Romelu Lukaku and Lucas Piazon in the last summer transfer window.

Chelsea look set to make some big purchases in the January transfer window, with the side struggling to hold onto a top four place - they've just fallen to fifth in the Premier League table - and after being dealt a shock loss in the Champions League group stages this week, Villas-Boas will need to bolster the side to challenge the likes of Manchester United and Manchester City.