Thomas Tuchel couldn't help but crack a smile when asked about speculation linking Chelsea with a move for veteran strikers Cristiano Ronaldo and Robert Lewandowski.
The Blues’ transfer window is now in full flow after Raheem Sterling’s switch from Manchester City was confirmed on Wednesday night. The England international arrived at Chelsea’s LA pre-season camp earlier this week, before his £50million transfer was confirmed.
Sterling became the first major transfer of the Todd Boehly era, with the American overseeing the club’s transfer activity following the takeover from Roman Abramovich. And the former City star promises to be only the start of Chelsea’s activity with aspirations on closing the gap on Liverpool and the Premier League champions.
Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly could complete his move by the end of the weekend, while there is still hope that Nathan Ake will follow Sterling from the Etihad to Stamford Bridge.
Thoughts will then turn to other areas in Tuchel’s squad, with a centre forward likely to be on the agenda at some point. Chelsea allowed record signing Romelu Lukaku to return to Inter Milan on loan during this window, leaving a dearth of options to play as a traditional forward.
Manchester United superstar Ronaldo has been heavily linked with a move to the capital, after reports of a meeting between Boehly and super-agent Jorge Mendes emerged at the end of last month.
Lewandowski is another world class striker who looks likely to be on the move, with the Pole making it clear he wishes to leave Bayern Munich during the current window. Barcelona are the overwhelming frontrunners to land Lewandowski, but Chelsea have recently been touted as a potential destination for the 34-year-old.
But speaking after the announcement of Sterling, Tuchel refused to comment on any rumours, although he did reveal his admirations for the prolific pair. Asked about the links, Tuchel joked: “Any chance I do not comment on them? Because that is what will happen! We will stick to it, I will not comment on it.
“Their careers speak for themselves, it is not needed that I give another comment and put rumours out there which do not help anybody. We will announce when something is ready to be announced.”
Mirror Football understands that Chelsea have - behind closed doors at least - ruled out the possibility of signing Ronaldo, seemingly leaving the Portuguese icon with a lack of options to force a United exit.
Meanwhile, Tuchel has implored his new bosses to keep splashing the cash in the build-up to the new season, with not only the two sides above them - but also the teams around them improving.
“Competing against two top teams, two top coaches… Tottenham are very active, very aggressive in the early transfer period, they now have maybe the strongest squad they’ve ever had.
“Man United is never shy of recruiting with a new coach and Arsenal have had some big signings already, so we need to keep the level up in order to be competitive.”
He continued: “I would not rule it out [signing a striker], but it’s not the priority. The priority is defence - which everybody knows, this is no secret - and from there, we need to see what is possible.”
