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Chelsea have been one of the most successful European clubs of the 21st century, with over 20 trophies in their cabinet since the dawn of the century. The Blues became a consistently performing club, especially after the takeover by Roman Abramovich in 2003, which ushered the club into a new era.
With increased spending capacity and sensible investments, Chelsea became the first English club to win all three of UEFA's major club competitions - the European Cup Winners Cup, Champions League and Europa League. The Blues have played host to some of the biggest players and managers over the years and are known to be a club that generally gets whom they want.
However, Chelsea have not been successful in all of their pursuits, as some world-class players have rejected moves to London over the years. On that note, we take a look at the five players who rejected moves to Stamford Bridge.
#5 Roberto Carlos
In the summer transfer window of 2007, Chelsea almost pulled off what would've been one of the Premier League's greatest-ever imports.
Following a trophy-laden 11-year spell at Real Madrid, Roberto Carlos was on the hunt for a new club. After winning 13 trophies in the Spanish capital, the then-34-year old Brazilian was a free agent. Years after that transfer window, Carlos revealed that he was 'very close' to joining Chelsea in 2007.
A decade following the incident, Roberto Carlos revealed the details in an interview with Goal. The Brazilian said:
"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 (former chief executive) Peter Kenyon, but it didn't happen due to a few small factors."
The 2002 FIFA World Cup winner would go on to sign for the 28-time Turkish champions, Fenerbahce, in that same transfer window.
#4 Alisson
Before Chelsea splurged a world-record €80 million on Kepa Arrizabalaga, they were heavily linked with then-AS Roma shot-stopper Alisson Becker.
The 28-year-old was coming off a stellar 2017-18 season with both club and country. Alisson won the Serie A Goalkeeper of the Year accolade that season and the 2018 Copa America title with Brazil. With a cumulative tally of 22 clean sheets for club and country that season, Alisson was one of the hottest properties in the 2018 summer transfer window.
Chelsea were one of the clubs interested in the Brazilian's signature, and it soon turned into a hotly-contested transfer saga when arch-rivals Liverpool entered the fray. Eventually, Alisson made the move to Anfield on a €62.5 million transfer, making him the world's most expensive goalkeeper at the time.
In a later interview, Alisson cited the following reason for rejecting the Blues:
"I chose Liverpool for the same reasons I went to Roma when I first left Brazil – I thought this would be the best move for my career. Chelsea were changing their manager and not playing in the Champions League."
He added:
"This (Liverpool) is a club with five European Cups in their trophy cabinet. I really wanted to be part of that history."
#3 Steven Gerrard
Steven Gerrard is a Liverpool legend in every sense of the word, but he briefly contemplated a move to Chelsea in the 2004-05 season.
The long-time Liverpool captain was arguably Liverpool's most loyal servant, having spent over 25 years at his boyhood club. Gerrard won nine major trophies during his stint at Anfield, including the historic 2005 Champions League title.
While Liverpool have historically been a big club, and have regained their top status in recent years, Gerrard stuck with the club through an indifferent spell when the Reds struggled to qualify for Champions League football.
In the summer transfer window of 2014, Chelsea made an audacious €20 million bid for Gerrard. The intention was to team up the prolific midfielder with his English teammate, Frank Lampard, and Claude Makelele to form one of the best midfield trios in the game.
Gerrard publicly stated his desire to leave, and the deal was all but done. After several phone calls and discussions with his family and even death threats from angry fans, the Englishman decided to carry on at his boyhood club.
Following the transfer saga, the now-41-year-old said:
"I've not been happy with the progress the club had made, and for the first time in my career I thought about the possibility of moving on. But I've gone with my heart. I've made a decision to stay at Liverpool, and I am 100% committed to the club."
#2 Neymar
PSG superstar Neymar was once the subject of intense interest from Chelsea during his time at Santos.
Neymar was highly sought-after before his move to Barcelona, with European powerhouses like Real Madrid, Manchester United and Bayern Munich keen on the youngster's signature. The Brazilian revealed the details of his failed move to Chelsea in his autobiography, 'Neymar - My Story: Conversations with my Father':
"My father and I had a meeting with president Luis Alvaro at the Santos headquarters inside the Vila Belmiro. Chelsea had made a huge transfer bid. In the middle of our conversation, the president turned off the lights and pointed at an empty chair," said Neymar.
He added:
"This is the chair of the great national sports hero. Since Ayrton Senna's death, this chair is vacant. If Neymar Jr stays in Santos and refuses Chelsea's proposal, he will give his first step to sit in this chair. Even Pele called me. Can you imagine how important I felt? The King of Football called and asked me to stay."
#1 Kylian Mbappe
In an interview with The Players' Tribune last year, Kylian Mbappe revealed he came close to signing for Chelsea as a youth player.
At the tender age of 11, the Frenchman made the trip to London for trials at Chelsea, and was extremely impressed with the facilities and vision of the club. While Mbappe was keen on moving to Stamford Bridge, his parents intervened to stop the move from happening.
In the aforementioned interview, Mbappe said:
"When I was 11 years old, I got to go to London for a few days to train with Chelsea's youth team. I even met Drogba." He went on to add, "They wanted me to stay at home so that I could be a child and live a normal life. I didn't understand it at the time, but it was actually the best thing for me, because I learned a lot of hard lessons that I would have never learned in a bubble at an academy."
When Chelsea asked Kylian Mbappe to return for a second training session, his mother apparently intervened and said:
"My son will not go back, either they sign him now or within five years they'll have to offer 50 million euros to tie him down."
The Frenchman would play one match for Chelsea's youth team against Charlton Athletic during his one-week stint at Stamford Bridge.
