Six Chelsea transfers that collapsed under Abramovich from Messi to Neymar
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Under Roman Abramovich, Chelsea have evolved into one of the most decorated football clubs in Europe over the past two decades.
The Blues have become almost synonymous with success since Abramovich snapped the Londoners up in a £140million deal back in 2003.
The Russian oligarch changed the game in the Premier League by splashing the cash to make the Blues a global force.
While that approach has led the Blues to 21 trophies during his 19-year reign, there have still been signings that have evaded the Chelsea chief.
Despite having a blank chequebook, Abramovich was left frustrated by a host of blockbuster names over the years.
Daily Star Sport recalls six failed transfer moves from the Abramovich era…
Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi finally left Barcelona last summer – seven years after Abramovich tried to strike a deal with the Catalan giants to bring the Argentine superstar to London.
Messi was at the peak of his powers when the Chelsea chief tried to entice him into ditching his beloved Barca.
However, the £225million mega-move fell flat at the eleventh hour over a transfer dispute, despite Messi reportedly being keen on the switch.
Abramovich has seen Chelsea conquer Europe twice during his 19-year tenure – but Messi is the one true European superstar who truly got away during his historic reign.
Who do you think was the best signing of the Abramovich era? Let us know in the comments section.
Roberto Carlos
Brazilian superstar Roberto Carlos was another galactico who came close to joining Abramovich's Chelsea revolution.
The iconic left-back revealed that he was on the brink of quitting Real Madrid to join the Blues back in 2007 – before the move was killed by a legal wrangle.
He told Goal: "I had two proposals, Fenerbahce and Chelsea. Chelsea didn't work out so I signed for Fenerbahce.
"But, with Chelsea, it got very close. It was literally agreed and I just had to go there and sign the contract.
"It was just a week before I signed for Fenerbahce and I had been to Paris to meet both Roman Abramovich and Peter Kenyon.
"Unfortunately, in the final moments something didn't work out just before finalising, which happens a lot in football. There was an issue with the lawyer."
Wayne Rooney
Chelsea were one of a host of clubs bidding to take advantage of Wayne Rooney's Manchester United bust-up back in 2010.
Rooney slapped in a transfer request at Old Trafford in a bid to force a move elsewhere.
Unsurprisingly, the Blues were keen on snapping up one of the poster boy's of English football when the opportunity arose.
However, despite overtures from Abramovich and Real Madrid, Rooney was eventually persuaded to pen a new long-team deal at Old Trafford.
Luka Modric
It's an unwritten rule; Chelsea and Tottenham don't do business together.
And that bitter relationship stems from a string of failed transfers – including the Blues pursuit of Luka Modric back in 2011.
Modric had evolved into one of the top-flights premier playmakers. However, Abramovich couldn't persuade Daniel Levy to part with his star man.
The Croatian conductor eventually stayed at White Hart Lane for another year before sealing a big bucks transfer to Real Madrid the the following summer.
But the ripples of that transfer dispute between the two London rivals are still felt in the capital to this day.
Steven Gerrard
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Perhaps the most famous failed transfer of the Abramovich era, Steven Gerrard was seemingly on the cusp of trading in his beloved Reds for a seat on Chelsea's steamrolling domestic juggernaut.
There are conflicting explanations as to just why the move collapsed – but Gerrard never ended up gracing Stamford Bridge in the famous blue jersey.
The England midfielder decided to stay with Liverpool rather than chasing his dream of domestic titles elsewhere.
And it ended up costing Gerrard a Premier League title when his career was all said and done.
Neymar
Abramovich reportedly tried to snap up Neymar twice – but he failed to beat PSG to the punch in the race for the Brazilian superstar back in 2017.
Chelsea were also unsuccessful in their bid to bring Neymar to the European stage during his time at Santos.
Since slipping through Abramovich's fingers, Neymar has gone on to star in Paris alongside Messi and Kylian Mbappe this term.
Although didn't know it at the time, Chelsea's failed pursuit of Neymar four-and-a-half years represented the final time Abramovich would bid to try and sign the galactico that eluded him during his time at Stamford Bridge.
- Lionel Messi
- Neymar
- Steven Gerrard
- Wayne Rooney
- Chelsea FC
- Premier League
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