Every football fan would most likely have a list of a couple of players their darling club tried but failed to sign at some point. Chelsea in particular have come close to signing a couple of great players in the past who, for one reason or another, they were not able to sign.
When he was at AS Roma, Chelsea submitted an offer for the Romanian after several reports had linked him with a move to Stamford Bridge some weeks before. The Blues were in dire need of a commanding central defender who would anchor things at the back and lead the line alongside former England international John Terry.
However, after discussions with Roma, Chelsea could not arrive at an agreement with the Italian club, putting the transfer in jeopardy and the player ended up remaining at the club. Chelsea were not the only team interested in Chivu at the time, with Spanish La Liga giants Real Madrid also very interested in him and became the second club to submit an offer for the defender.
But Roma proved to be too stubborn and also rejected the Los Blancos approach. Real Madrid’s rivals Barcelona soon joined the picture and it was becoming a bidding war for the defender who eventually insisted that he would prefer to remain at Roma instead of sealing a move away from the club.
He was 26 then and he fulfilled his desire if staying at Roma for at least one more season, seeing off his contract before he was then urged to sign a contract extension at the Italian giants.