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Football London
Football London
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Jake Stokes

Thomas Tuchel's dream Chelsea front threes as Todd Boehly Cristiano Ronaldo move unlocks attack

Cristiano Ronaldo could prove to be the perfect replacement for Romelu Lukaku at Chelsea, with the Belgium international facing an increasingly uncertain future at Stamford Bridge. Lukaku has been heavily linked with an exit from west London this summer, and a return to Inter Milan has emerged as the most likely destination.

The Blues striker has struggled to acclimatise to the Premier League upon his return, finding the net 17 times in 44 appearances. Lukaku's misfortune in front of goal has cast doubt over his future at Chelsea and, with Todd Boehly keen to welcome a-list signings to earmark the start of a new era, the west Londoners have been linked with a number of star-studded alternatives.

One of whom is five-time Ballon d'Or winner, Ronaldo. According to The Athletic, Todd Boehly met the Manchester United striker's agent Jorge Mendes to discuss a potential swoop for the Portuguese star.

READ MORE: Cristiano Ronaldo to Chelsea transfer: Todd Boehly meeting, Man Utd stance, Joao Felix advantage

It's said that the 37-year-old, who sees his contract at Old Trafford expire in just 12 months, is increasingly disgruntled at the lack of transfer business that United have conducted, with no arrivals as of yet. The report adds that Ronaldo has already been offered to Bayern Munich, though the German giants have baulked at the proposal.

With Boehly having met with Mendes in Portugal last week, it's believed that Ronaldo's future was among several topics discussed amid his uncertain future at United. Whether or not Chelsea make a move for the talisman remains to be seen, but Tuchel is keen to bolster his strike force this summer and the Portugal international would certainly be an improvement upon Lukaku.

Speaking to football.london earlier this month, the Blues boss addressed Chelsea's inability to over-perform. He said: "Is it necessary to bring more offensive players around the box to create more distractions, to create more space for each other?

"We will ask that question. Can we do better in the structure? Can we push the players more? Did we rotate too much? Let's see.

"There are a lot of options. The numbers we produce from our offensive players don't allow us to over-perform, and we need over-performance if we want to be nearer to the top two teams. I am not pointing fingers, I am not blaming anybody, but we need over-performance from everybody. It's not over-performance if we have only single figures in scoring and assisting."

So we, football.london, looked at how Chelsea's front-three could look next season, should Tuchel have Ronaldo at his disposal.

3-4-3

The 3-4-3 has been synonymous with Chelsea since Tuchel took the helm at Stamford Bridge. And, with Ronaldo in the side, the Blues can - naturally - pose a greater threat with the United striker in place of Lukaku.

How Tuchel could set Chelsea up with Ronaldo in a 3-4-3 (https://www.buildlineup.com/)

Ronaldo's aerial threat would be perfect with the deliveries from Ben Chilwell and Reece James armed and ready. However, the striker's notorious lack of pressing would contradict Tuchel's philosophy, though.

4-3-3

A 4-3-3 is a formation that Ronaldo has flourished in recent years. While the Portugal international would take up a wider role on the team sheet, as he did under Zinedine Zidane at Real Madrid, he'd likely drift inside as a second striker and open up space for Chilwell to run into.

How Tuchel could set Chelsea up with Ronaldo in a 4-3-3 (https://www.buildlineup.com/)

3-4-1-2

This formation was trialled and tested on several occasions by Tuchel at Chelsea last season. Though not too dissimilar to the 3-4-3, Mount has relished the number ten role and Havertz would grant Ronaldo a sense of freedom regarding his choice of movement.

How Tuchel could set Chelsea up with Ronaldo in a 3-4-1-2 (https://www.buildlineup.com/)

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