The Manchester United star reportedly wants out of Old Trafford
On his way to Stamford Bridge? Chelsea might be keen on Cristiano. © Michael Steele / Getty Images
Chelsea’s new owners are mulling over a move for Cristiano Ronaldo after the forward told Manchester United he wishes to leave if a good offer comes in for him, according to reports.
United have insisted that Ronaldo, who didn’t turn up to the first day of preseason training citing family reasons on Monday, is not for sale.
ESPN, however, claims that the Red Devils will listen to offers for him outside of the Premier League.
But Chelsea co-owner Todd Boehly, who led a consortium that recently bought the club for £4.5 billion ($5.4 billion) from Roman Abramovich, is said to have met with Ronaldo’s agent Jorge Mendes in June, when his client’s potential move to west London was discussed.
According to The Athletic, conversations between Boehly and Mendes have continued since, and Boehly plus fellow director Behdad Eghbali are believed to be “intrigued” by the prospect of landing one of football’s biggest stars.
Though the financial side of things won’t act as a deterrent, any potential move depends on what head coach Thomas Tuchel thinks.
The German is a noted long-term admirer of Ronaldo’s, but he would need to talk to him about how Ronaldo would fit into Chelsea’s system as the Blues will continue to monitor the situation at United.
Elsewhere, the Evening Standard reports that it is not just Ronaldo who has been offered to the Premier League giants after Boehly’s sit-down with Mendes.
Paris Saint-Germain want to offload their 2017 world-record signing Neymar to them as well, it is claimed, though there would be concerns in this respect as to how Chelsea would afford the Brazilian’s £606,000 ($734,000) per-week wages.
The Evening Standard claims that Tuchel is said to be reluctant towards signing a superstar such as Ronaldo or Neymar, and harbors fears over how they might upset the balance of his squad while also not suited to Chelsea’s pressing-based, high-intensity football.
Furthermore, Chelsea are also keen to prevent a repetition of the Romelu Lukaku debacle which saw them pay a club record £97.5 million ($118 million) fee for the Belgian striker just for him to return to previous club Inter Milan on loan last week.
These developments make Raheem Sterling from Manchester City a far more suitable candidate, and Chelsea are apparently keen on signing the England international in a £45 million ($54.5 million) coup before they fly out to start their own preseason tour in the US this Saturday.
If this comes off, Sterling will be the first of six new signings that Boehly has allegedly promised Tuchel over the summer.
