Cole Desperate To Leave Chelsea

Reports suggest Ashley Cole has told Carlo Ancelotti that he is desperate to leave Chelsea and be reunited with former Blues boss Jose Mourinho at Real Madrid.

The 29-year-old England international left-back had a short discussion with Ancelotti about his future when he returned to pre-season training last week.

Cole said after the World Cup that he hated life in England and it is now believed he wants to move abroad following the break-up of his marriage to Cheryl and continued lurid stories about his personal life.

A source close to Chelsea told the News of the World: "It was a very amicable meeting, but Ashley made it clear that because of his personal situation he feels it is in his best interests to leave the club.

"He told Ancelotti that he will be very sad to leave and that it had been a privilege playing for the club during such a successful time in its history.

"Ashley was told that he would have to go and see the chairman, which he hasn't done yet and he has not handed in a formal transfer request.

"He knows Ancelotti wants him to stay, but he feels that moving abroad is the only way he can escape the attention after what happened with Cheryl and the other stories about his private life."

Real are believed to be willing to launch a £25million bid for the former Arsenal star.

Double Boost For Blues

Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti expects Didier Drogba and Petr Cech to be fit for the start of the new season.

Drogba was a surprise inclusion in the Chelsea squad for their pre-season trip to Germany just one week after undergoing groin surgery.

The Ivory Coast ace was expected to be sidelined for up to three weeks following the surgery, but although he will not figure in Sunday's clash with Eintracht Frankfurt he could be involved in the midweek game with Hamburg.

Cech, who has been struggling with a calf problem, has not made the trip to Germany, but Ancelotti expects the custodian to be available for next weekend's Community Shield clash with Manchester United.

"He [Drogba] is in good condition, he has recovered well from surgery so he will be able to play the next game [against Hamburg]," Ancelotti told Sky Sports News.

"Yeah it is very good he is doing very well.

"All our squad is improving our condition and I think we will be ready for the start of the season.

"All the players in Germany will play tomorrow maybe only 45 minutes, but against Hamburg I want to put out the line-up that will play against Manchester United.

"Petr Cech is good, I think he will be fit for the game against Manchester United.

"I think that all the players will be fit against Manchester United and only [Jose] Bosingwa needs more time to be fit."

Frank Lampard has not travelled with the squad to Germany because of illness but he will link up later next week, while Daniel Sturridge is missing with a minor ankle problem.

Wigan Athletic In The Clear To Land Franco di Santo

According to reports Wigan Athletic are in pole position to sign Chelsea FC striker Franco di Santo.

The Latics were understood to be battling with Bolton Wanderers and Dutch sides Feyernoord and Twente Enschede for the youngster’s signature.

The Mirror claims Chelsea are reluctant to deal with Bolton Wanderers.

In the last few days Feyenoord chief Leo Beenhakker has revealed he would not be pursuing the Argentine.

Ozil Admits Chelsea Move Would Be A 'Dream'

In demand Germany midfielder Mesut Ozil says it "would be a dream" to play in the Premier League and admitted that the prospect of a move to Chelsea greatly excites him.

Ozil, 21, has attracted the attention of some of Europe's biggest clubs after emerging as one Germany's most impressive performers at the World Cup in South Africa. The Werder Bremen playmaker has just one year left on his contract and would represent excellent value for money for any potential suitors in an otherwise inflated transfer market.

The Bundesliga club appears resigned to cashing in on their star player now, rather than risk losing him on a free transfer next summer, with Chelsea reportedly among the interested parties. And if either of the Premier League giants were to swoop, Ozil believes it would be difficult to turn down a move to England.

"There are four or five clubs in Europe that you would have to say as a player would be a dream to play for," Ozil said in the Daily Star Sunday.

"When you are looking at moving clubs it's impossible not to pay attention to the Premier League and even more impossible not to pay attention to Chelsea.

"I am a winner and, when I am looking for a new club, I simply look at where I can be the most successful and where I can win the most trophies. If you look at the recent history of Chelsea then it's clear that a player can be very successful there.

"Of course clubs like Real Madrid and Barcelona are of huge interest and the Premier League's top two clubs are of serious interest to me when the time comes. I am under contract with Werder for another year and it is impossible for me to say if a deal will be done this summer.

"They may decide that they want to keep me for another season or they may decide to sell me this summer so they can get some money for me. That is up to the club."

Kalou Happy To Be Back

Ivorian forward Salomon Kalou is relishing being back at Chelsea following his summer break.

Kalou, who has started his pre-season preparation following three weeks off after the World Cup, joins his team-mates as they travel to Germany on Saturday.

And the 24-year-old, who arrived at Stamford Bridge in 2006, has enjoyed linking back up with his colleagues in training following the Blues' Premier League and FA Cup Double last season.

"We haven't been with the team for two-and-a-half months so you long to come back and catch up with the other players," Kalou told Chelsea's official website.

"After we won the Double we never really got the time to be together so we didn't have the time to enjoy more the winning so it's good to be back with the players."

Kalou believes Chelsea have a squad more than capable of challenging for the Champions League trophy this term as they look to complete their silverware collection.

He added: "I believe that it can be a great season for us again if we can keep everyone fit; we have the team to do better than last year by winning the Champions League because it's very important everyone is hoping that the club win that trophy."

The forward, who netted 12 goals last season, is looking to better his scoring rate as well as establishing himself as a regular starter this term.

"I want to score more goals than last year, between 15 and 20, and I think my personal goal is to be an important player for the team like in the end of last season and to continue at that level and play well for the team," he said.

Kalou's other hope for the season is to see team-mate Jose Bosingwa return to action after being ruled out with a knee injury since last October.

"He hasn't played for so long," added Kalou.

"We want to see him back on the pitch doing his thing, and he will be like a new signing because it is such a long time since he played."

Carlo Backing World Cup Flops

Carlo Ancelotti is relying on Chelsea's World Cup washouts to conquer the UEFA Champions League this season.

The Stamford Bridge manager has set his sights on European glory after guiding the Blues to the Premier League and FA Cup titles last term.

And he believes the Chelsea players that flopped in South Africa will be eager to put that disappointment behind them and help him achieve his dream.

"All my Musketeers, including (Didier) Drogba, (Florent) Malouda, (Frank) Lampard and (John) Terry, have played in a World Cup which has lowered their profile," Ancelotti told The Sun.

"If you look at all the big nations that failed, from England to Argentina, France and Brazil, the coach was trying to get the right balance between the individuals and the organization of the team.

"In my first season with Chelsea, we won the Premier League, FA Cup and Community Shield. But I missed out on the Champions League, so that is now my dream.

"At the moment everything here in London is good. But I know if we do not keep winning that things will soon change for me.

"So we must quickly rediscover the enthusiasm we had last season and same good football."

Milk Cup: Chelsea Break Club Duck

Chelsea celebrated their first trophy win at the Milk Cup in what was a fitting end to the tournament for them.

The young Blues had dominated the Junior Section and it was no different in the final against Cruz Azul as the boys from Stamford Bridge ran out 3-0 winners.

Victory was as good as assured at half-time with two spectacular goals from Reece Mitchell and John Swift proving the Mexicans’ undoing. Lewis Baker claimed the third by stroking home a penalty in stoppage time.

Head coach Adrian Viveash said: “It’s been a tremendous week, on and off the pitch. We’ve loved being in Ireland.

“This is a new group we’ve brought and they are worthy of the Milk Cup, this competition and its history.”

Scorer Mitchell added: “Hard work is the key to what we’ve achieved.”

Chelsea had the ideal start with Mitchell’s eye-catching goal after just three minutes. It’s not hard to see why he has been offered a scholarship at the West London club.

Swift floated a pin-perfect cross in from the right which Mitchell met with a bicycle kick and hit the far corner of the net.

It was the Chelsea striker’s fourth goal of the tournament and the best of them all.

Swift doubled Chelsea’s advantage on the stroke of half-time when the towering midfielder let fly from 25 yards with a blistering effort which fizzed past Perez and into the net.

Azul started the second period with a bit more urgency, but without threatening the Chelsea rearguard, who seemed content to protect their lead at a canter.

Baker sent Perez the wrong way from the penalty spot to claim Chelsea’s first junior crown.

King Kakuta In France

Gael Kakuta created the winning goal as France claimed the Uefa Under 19 European Championship on home soil with victory over Spain on Friday evening.

The Frenchman joins English Under-17 internationals Josh McEachran and Nathaniel Chalobah in becoming a European champion, following their success earlier in the summer when they also triumphed over the Spanish.

Kakuta played the full 90 minutes as France came from behind to win 2-1 in Caen, northern France, and it was from his cross that Alexandre Lacazette headed home the winner five minutes from time.

Spain had taken the lead early on when Liverpool forward Daniel Pacheco set up Rodrigo to finish, but Arsenal man Gilles Sunu's equalizer four minutes into the second half gave France hope of avoiding their cruel defeat to Spain in the 2008 Under 17 Final.

The Chelsea man forced Spain goalkeeper Alex into a smart save but moments later had the last laugh as he dinked in a delicate cross for Lacazette to head home.

France are the second successive hosts, following Ukraine, to lift the Under 19 title.

Benayoun Relishing Chelsea Challenge

Chelsea's Yossi Benayoun is ready for the challenge of breaking into a team which won the Premier League and FA Cup double last season.

After three years with Liverpool, the Israel international finally quit Merseyside when he joined the Blues in a £5million move in July.

A niggling groin injury halted his progress in pre-season but Benayoun is determined to make an impact for Carlo Ancelotti's side as the Blues look to defend their domestic titles.

"There are a lot of good players, big players, for me it is the beginning and I have to work hard and prove I can bring something to this club," said Benayoun.

"The only thing I can promise is I will work hard and do my best, and hopefully it will be good enough.

"I had offers from a few teams but when Chelsea came in for me it was the obvious and only thing to think about, and I am glad it came out in the end."

Benayoun made his last appearance for Liverpool against the Blues on May 2, when Chelsea took a giant step towards the league title with a 2-0 win.

"The last home game I knew it would be my last for Liverpool, I tried to do my best but Chelsea were strong," added Benayoun.

"All the years here in England, five years, Chelsea were always a difficult side to play against with big players and that's why they are always there at the top fighting for trophies. That's why I am glad to be a part of it now."

Benayoun's pedigree is second to none. As a talented youngster in Israel, he was asked to join the Ajax academy at just 15.

He began his senior career two years later with Hapoel Beer-Sheva before moving on to Maccabi Haifa in 1998.

After completing national service he left Maccabi having scored 55 goals in 130 appearances and joined Racing Santander in Spain in 2002.

But his goalscoring exploits soon brought him to the attention of English clubs and West Ham snapped him up for £2.5million three years later.

He helped the Hammers to finish ninth in the Premier League and reach the 2006 FA Cup final under then manager Alan Pardew.

He played one more season at Upton Park before making a £5million move to Anfield in 2007 where he replaced Luis Garcia, who moved back to Spain as part of the transfer deal that saw Fernando Torres join Liverpool.

His time at Liverpool was spent in and out of the side with Rafael Benitez never really appearing to treat him as a regular first-team player.

Last season he started 29 games and scored nine goals including a late one against Atletico Madrid at Anfield that looked to have put Liverpool into the Europa League final before Diego Forlan's last-gasp strike ended that dream.

Captain of the Israel national side, Benayoun has quickly felt at home after making the move back to London.

"It is a great training ground and you can see it is one of the best clubs in the world from the way the people here treat you," added Benayoun.

"It is a good challenge for me and I am ready for it."

Coach Ancelotti admitted that much of Benayoun's appeal lay in his versatility. The midfielder is equally at home on either wing and his trickery will cause plenty of problems for opposing defences.

"Yossi has a lot of quality in midfield and can play in lots of positions. I like his behaviour on the pitch," said Ancelotti.

"He will do a great job."

Is Mikel Arteta The Solution?

Recent weeks have seen us linked with just about every able bodied player on the planet.

One player that the media have missed is probably someone who should be on the forefront of plans this season. I am of course talking about Spanish playmaker Mikel Arteta.

Now the Premier League is often considered devoid of true playmakers, with Fabregas being the first that springs to mind. The other, and second only to Fabregas is Arteta. Everton's player of the year in 2005/06/07/08.

Arteta has been established as Everton's greatest sun. Linked with Chelsea in the past and continuously with Arsenal this summer as Fabregas considers Barcelona's offer, at £10million he offers a bargain that could prove a steal.

A graduate of the Barcelona academy, Arteta has proved himself in the Premier League and with the constant cries of Chelsea lacking a playmaker in the truest form, it is a surprise few mention his name on the site.

Mikel Arteta began his career as a holding player in the Guardiola mould and played with his best friend Xabi Alonso in San Sebastian. A meeting with a brilliant manager by the name of David Moyes sent his career rocketing towards the sky.

Moyes realised that he is best suited further forward and since then Arteta has never looked back. Capable of playing the Ballack role deep in midfield, spraying the ball and linking up the attack, Arteta would fit seamlessly in the 4-3-3 system.

Also more than capable of playing at the so called 'tip of the diamond position' as has been made famous by valued member Lukamolski on the site.

His defensive abilities allow him to play in other positions and formations if necessary. Mikel is an amazing crosser of the ball and has excellent passes and vision in the final third. His spot-kicks, be they free-kicks, corners or penalties are simply astounding.

He may not be among the very top brass of world football, but the man who replaced Gravesen at Everton and was declared the Premier League's best midfielder in 2006/07 by SkySports but he has a lot to offer, and a move to a bigger arena may be great, for him and the club in question.

Having discussed options in the likes of City's Rejects I thought it my civic duty to raise it up a notch.

Ramires Claims Chelsea Bid

Benfica midfielder Ramires has claimed Chelsea have lodged a bid for his signature.

The Brazil international has been linked with a switch away from Benfica this summer, with Barcelona, Real Madrid and Chelsea all mooted as potential suitors.

Ramires has made no secret of his eagerness to join Premier League holders Chelsea, who are said to be in talks with Benfica over a £20million deal.

The 23-year-old is quoted as saying in the Daily Mail: "There has been a bid for me from Chelsea.

"To play for the best team in the Premier League and for a club with so much history, it would be my dream.

"I've had a fantastic year at Benfica but this is a dream that I cannot let go."

The Price Is Far From Right!

Sometimes you just have to wonder what goes through some peoples minds!

A couple of times this summer the name of Gregory van der Wiel has been linked with Chelsea.

The Dutch defender, currently on the books of Ajax, had a decent enough World Cup and is rumoured to be on the move.

Bayern Munich were the prime candidates for his signature but rumour suggests that deal is not going to happen now.

His club, Ajax, has financial worries and has told Martin Jol he has to sell before buying, naturally, because of our history, we get linked.

But the price tag now being quoted by some sources is laughable, a huge £20 million!

It’s not going to happen at that price is it?

Nicolas Anelka Sues L'Equipe Over World Cup Rant At Raymond Domenech

The France striker Nicolas Anelka is taking the French newspaper L'Equipe to court for libel after it printed details of his expletive-filled World Cup rant at the then France coach, Raymond Domenech.

Anelka has never denied ranting at Domenech during half-time in the group match against Mexico on 17 June, which France were drawing 0-0 at the time and went on to lose 2-0. But has said the newspaper distorted his words – splashed across the front page with the expletives included.

L'Equipe said on its website that the case is likely to start this autumn and the newspaper will defend itself by calling the "various witnesses to the scene".

The French Football Federation sent Anelka home from the World Cup as a result of the story, and the following day the entire squad went on strike in protest at the decision.

Wycombe Wanderers 5 - 1 Chelsea XI:

A sensational four-minute hat-trick from Jon-Paul Pittman helped Wycombe Wanders come from a goal down to win 5-1 against a Chelsea XI side on Thursday night.

Aliu Djalo opened the scoring for the London club after 13 minutes, only for Scott Rendell and Ben Strevens to put the League Two side into the lead before second-half substitute Jon-Paul Pittman completed the rout.

The only first-team players to be included in the Chelsea side were Scott Sinclair, Franco Di Santo and Jack Cork, with new signing Phillip Prosenik starting on the bench.

Despite the weak line-up, Chelsea came out strongest and broke the deadlock after 13 minutes when a Scott Sinclair shot brought a smart save from Wanderers goalkeeper Nikki Bull, but the parry fell into the path of striker Djalo who tapped into an empty net.

Chelsea did not stay in front for long though as Wycombe’s intensified pressure reaped rewards after 24 minutes when a loose ball from an attempted defensive clearing fell kindly to Rendell eight yards out and the 23-year-old calmly stroked the ball home.
Gary Waddock’s side deservedly took the lead 12 minutes later when a clever flick from Kieran Murtagh found Strevens inside the penalty area and the striker finished from a tight angle to take Wanderers into the lead before half-time.

The second-half was a balanced affair before American Pittman came on with 25 minutes remaining and proceeded to put the game beyond doubt.

On 76 minutes clever work from Chairboys midfielder Kevin Betsy fed in the 23-year-old to fire low underneath Chelsea goalkeeper Samuel Walker, only two minutes later it was 4-1 as winger Matt Phillips was this time the provider as Pittman finished cooly and then just over a minute later the striker ran through on goal and calmly chipped home a finish and wrap up a confident team victory.

Wycombe Wanderers: Nikki Bull (Steve Arnold, 83); Chris Westwood (Marvin McCoy, 74), Dave Winfield, Alan Bennett, Danny Foster; Gareth Ainsworth (Ian Westlake, 85), Lewis Montrose (Matt Bloomfield, 66), Keiran Murtagh, Kevin Betsy; Scott Rendell (Matt Phillips, 60), Ben Strevens (Jon-Paul Pittman, 66).

Subs: Steve Arnold, Leon Johnson, Ian Westlake, Marvin McCoy, Matt Bloomfield, Matt Phillips, Jon-Paul Pittman.

Chelsea XI: Samuel Walker; Billy Clifford, Rohan Ince, Aziz Deen-Conteh, Ryan Bertrand; Scott Sinclair, Jack Cork, Conor Clifford, Milan Lalkovic (Dan Philliskirk, 59); Franco Di Santo, Aliu Djalo (Philipp Prosenik, 59).

Academy Through To Milk Final

Chelsea FC's U-15 Academy side is through to the Final of the 2010 Milk Cup over in Northern Ireland.

Teams from around the world, including Everton, Man U and Chelsea, compete in a week-long tournament on the North Coast area of Northern Ireland. The teams are divided into three categories: Elite, Premier, and Junior for Under-19s, Under-17s and Under-15s respectively.

Chelsea aim to enter a young team into the Junior section of the tournament in readiness for the Academy season ahead. Whilst we have the ability to enter teams at U-17 and U19 level, these players are at the stage of Reserve football and will be concentrating on other pre-season friendlies.

Chelsea were placed in Group A with 11 other teams, however only 2 group matches are played. After these games, 8 teams 'qualify' for the quarter-finals which were played on Wednesday.

The great thing about the Milk Cup is not only do the spectators get to see future stars wearing their favourite jerseys but for teams from other countries to face each other.

CFC began with a 3-0 win over South Coast Bayern, an American youth team, on Monday over in Coleraine. On Tuesday for their second game, the U-15s saw off Co.Armagh convincingly with one of the highlight displays of the week - 7-0.

Back in Coleraine on Wednesday for the quarter final, Chelsea managed a 1-0 win over Co.Tyrone to book a place in the Semi's yesterday.

"You have to remember these schoolboys only finished their school year on the July 20th, so they’ve been back training for two or three sessions before we came to the Milk Cup," Geoff Harvey, team boss, revealed.

"I think tiredness came into a bit (against Tyrone), three games in three days is a real test for them. The boys then faced Dundalk SL and destroyed the team 4-0.

The last game of the week at 4pm today sees Mexican side Cruz Azul as the last team in the way of another piece of Blue silverware. As Neil Bath, Academy Manager, said recently in an interview, Chelsea are achieving much more in Youth tournaments compared to 5 years ago. Here's hoping that we continue to be this successful.

For those interested Reece Mitchell has been one of the stand out performers. The number 9 has been scoring all tournament and will be looking for more goals this afternoon.

Numbers Boosted For Frankfurt

There will be fresh faces for our third pre-season friendly of the summer on Sunday, with our World Cup representatives now back into the groove at Cobham.

The last of our players to spend their summers in South Africa reported back for training on Monday and have quickly set about playing fitness catch-up with the rest of the squad, which included the French, Ivorians and Serb Branislav Ivanovic, who were back last Thursday after their early World Cup elimination.

Manager Carlo Ancelotti fielded a young side for our first two pre-season friendlies, with John Mikel Obi, Michael Essien and Daniel Sturridge our only regular first team outfield players on show, but our English and Portuguese internationals now return to the group, despite only arriving back at Cobham from their holidays on Monday.

That means likely starts against Eintracht Frankfurt on Sunday for Ashley Cole, John Terry, Frank Lampard, Ricardo Carvalho and Paulo Ferreira.

They will also be joined in the travelling party by Yossi Benayoun, who has recovered sufficiently from a groin problem to be available for selection, and Didier Drogba, who had hernia surgery last week. Four players, however, will remain in England.

'We will keep here Cech, Alex, Bosingwa and Deco because they need to work on their fitness,' explained Ancelotti. 'The other players are in good condition, and for the first game the players back from the World Cup can play for 45 minutes.

'The English and the Portuguese came back good and are doing well, but they are not in the best condition because it is very soon.'

With only a short time in which to prepare his side for our first competitive fixture of the season, in the Community Shield against Manchester United at Wembley on August 8, Ancelotti recognizes the importance of getting the group together for a few days.

'Now we are very close to the first appointment of the season against Manchester United and want to use these games to improve condition more, and I think we will be ready for that first game at Wembley,' he said.

'We decided to do this trip to Germany because we didn't have the players for a long time, so it is better to stay in Europe for a friendly game, and I think it is a good decision instead of going on a long tour.'

Carlo Ancelotti Claims Manchester City-Bound Mario Balotelli Was Never An Option

Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti admits Manchester City-bound Mario Balotelli was not part of his transfer plans this summer.

Balotelli, who is just hours away from completing his move from Inter to the Citizens, was linked with the Blues, but Ancelotti has offered a different view.

Asked by La Stampa whether the Italian was close to Chelsea at some point, Ancelotti said: "This doesn't result with me.

"City have spent the most in Europe and they will be fighting for the title. Mario is a crazy talent, but the Premier League is ideal for him.

"He will find Roberto Mancini, the coach that launched him in Serie A."

Ancelotti was asked what his aims are with Chelsea, and all eyes are on the Champions League.

"My first impact with Chelsea was winning the league, the FA Cup and Community Shield. I am missing the Champions League - that is my dream," he concluded.

Mourinho Keen To Sign Chelsea's Ricardo Carvalho

Jose Mourinho has publicly stated his admiration for Chelsea defender Ricardo Carvalho and indicated that he would like to sign the 32-year-old for Real Madrid.

Mourinho brought centre-back Carvalho to Stamford Bridge in 2004 and the Portuguese defender has been a mainstay of the Chelsea back four ever since.

However, there has been growing speculation that Carvalho could be set to join hid old mentor Mourinho at Real Madrid, especially with Chelsea having to comply with new Premier League rules to name a squad of only 25 players, meaning some will probably have to be sold.

Carvalho placed himself at the top of the list for a Chelsea exit, recently stating that he would go "swimming or running" to have the chance to move to the Bernabeau.

Now Mourinho has indicated that the enthusiasm for a deal is mutual. He told Spanish TV station TV1, "I always said that Carvalho is one of the best in the world."

When questioned about Carvalho's advancing years, Mourinho commented, "He is in the period of his greatest maturity."

On the prospects of Carvalho moving to Real Madrid, Mourinho did little to rule it out and coyly remarked, "We'll see what happens."

Blues Deny Mancienne Talk

Chelsea have denied reports that England Under-21 international defender Michael Mancienne has handed in a transfer request.

It looked as though the talented young centre-back was ready to call time on his career at Stamford Bridge after five years with the club.

Mancienne has started just two Premier League games for the Blues in his time in West London and has spent significant spells on loan with QPR and Wolves in the past four seasons.

Molineux boss Mick McCarthy has refused to rule out a move for the 22-year-old earlier in the day amid reports that he was on the market.

But a Blues spokesman confirmed to Sky Sports News that Mancienne has not asked to leave Chelsea this summer.

The defender could be more heavily involved in Carlo Ancelotti's plans this season due to the introduction of new squad rules for all Premier League clubs.

Each side must name a 25-man squad on 1st September, of whom eight have to be 'home-grown' criteria, which Mancienne would meet.

He has found first-team opportunities hard to come by with John Terry, Ricardo Carvalho and Alex all ahead of him in the pecking order.

Neymar Has No Reason To Leave Brazil - Father

Talented Brazilian youngster Neymar could snub Premier League champions Chelsea and remain with Santos beyond the summer, his father has claimed.

Neymar da Silva Santos has expressed his delight at his son eventually getting a call-up to the Brazilian national team for their upcoming friendly against the USA next month and has stated that the 18-year-old now has no reason to leave the country for England.

Chelsea had made a £20 million bid for the 18-year-old earlier this month but Santos officially rejected that offer. Neymar's father had expressed his anger at the Brazilian giants for not consulting him before making their decision, but it now appears that he would be happy to see his son remain in Brazil.

"His dream was to reach the Selecao playing for Santos," Neymar's father told TV Record Litoral. "This goal has been achieved. Therefore, I don't think there's a reason to think about leaving the country. That's why we will do everything we can for him to stay."

This is the first time that Neymar has been called to the senior side and Da Silva Santos explained just what it meant for his entire family.

"I didn't have the time to watch the squad announcement and because Neymar was training, we couldn't follow it together. But it was a day of great happiness. When I arrived home, the whole family celebrated.

"It's a shame that in that moment [before the World Cup] it was hard for him to be called-up, because of the previous coach [Dunga]. But today there's a renovation and this creates an expectation for the new players."