Cristiano Ronaldo has posted a cryptic message to his Instagram story amid his hunt for a new club. The 37-year-old striker was heavily linked with a move to Chelsea ahead of the World Cup after he and Manchester United parted company.
As the five-time Ballon d'Or winner set his sights on international glory with Portugal, talk of a move to Stamford Bridge quietened down. But, after Ronaldo's side were knocked out of the tournament by Morocco in the quarter-final, speculation regarding his future has burst back into life.
It's said that the Portuguese star has received offers from the Middle East and Australia but he’s holding out for a Champions League side. Ronaldo was reportedly earning around £500,000-per-week at Old Trafford but, as it stands, he'll have to heavily reduce his wage demands if he wants to stay in Europe.
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With a decision on his future yet to be made, Ronaldo has taken to social media. Igniting fresh speculation, he mysterious posted an image to his Instagram story which reads: "3 aspects of reality. Pain, uncertainty and constant work."
According to CBS journalist Ben Jacobs, Thomas Tuchel was a primary 'roadblock' in negotiations when Boehly tried to sign Ronaldo in the summer. It remains to be seen whether Potter is interested in signing the striker and the reigning Blues boss has kept his cards close to his chest.
Speaking ahead of Chelsea's home clash with AC Milan in the Champions League, when links with Ronaldo first began to emerge, he said: "We can spend all day with these questions, but I'm not going to speak about this. If they are not our players, I am not going to speak to them."
Despite this, the Mirror reported last month that the west Londoners will pursue Ronaldo's signature if United were to follow through and cut ties with the veteran striker. United have, of course, since parted ways with Ronaldo and an approach from Chelsea remains to be seen.
Nevertheless, Emmanuel Petit has urged clubs to steer clear of signing Ronaldo. Speaking to Compare.Bet, the former Blues and Gunners star insisted that the striker's next club could fall 'victim' to his antics.
"For me, can Ronaldo fix Chelsea's problems? I would say no," Petit said. "I think they have enough problems on the pitch and in the dressing room for Graham Potter to add more.
"I think this is new for Potter, big players, big egos. If you add one of the biggest egos in football history in Cristiano Ronaldo… Well, you’re going to have to say something to [Pierre-Emerick] Aubameyang as well, to other players.
"For me, there is no chance Cristiano Ronaldo will join Chelsea. Do you think Arsenal, Chelsea, big clubs like this, could be interested in taking Cristiano? They will think twice when realising what’s happened in the last couple of months between Manchester United and Ronaldo.
"Do you think a club will take the risk of becoming the next victim? No, I don’t think so. With all the good work [Mikel] Arteta and Edu have done over the last two or three years in the transfer market, with their transfer policy…
"Do you think he would take the risk, for one second, to put Cristiano Ronaldo into this dressing room, where the relationship with the players is beautiful? No, there’s no chance of it."
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