The Athletic have reported that West Ham United could have signed Neymar but the move eventually fell through.
Why West Ham could not wrap up Neymar deal
The report details that in the summer of 2010, the Hammers were offered the chance to sign Ronaldinho from AC Milan, but concerns over his wage demands and fitness meant they rescinded their interest.
As a result, West Ham decided to take a stab at signing one of, if not the most sought-after player in the world at the time in Neymar.
The East Londoners were considering paying a club-record fee of £16 million at the time (previously, £7.5 million for Craig Bellamy in 2007) to sign the generational talent.
However, Neymar had a £28.4 million release clause at the time, which Santos demanded every suitor to pay, including West Ham.
Furthermore, a deal has been described as ‘complicated’ as the Brazilian club only owned 60% of his rights.
As a result, the club needed an investment firm to strike an agreement for them to accept a lower fee.
Plus, Neymar’s father wanted his son not to move to a European side that early in his career, which eliminated West Ham as a potential destination in the first place.
Neymar would have changed the club forever
Considering Dimitri Payet’s majestic 2015/2016 season is revered to this day by West Ham, imagine witnessing a young Neymar do what he does best in front of the Hammers crowd.
The now-footballing icon would have perhaps instantly been regarded as the club’s greatest player in the Premier League era.
What’s more is the hype around his name, which the sport will rarely ever see around a young footballer anytime soon would have expanded the club’s reach and fanbase as a result to an unprecedented level.
Unfortunately for West Ham, Neymar eventually moved to Barcelona and as they say, the rest is history.
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