Chelsea owner Todd Boehly is considering launching an extraordinary bid to sign Cristiano Ronaldo this summer after the Manchester United superstar told his club he would like to leave, according to reports.
On Saturday, Ronaldo told United he would like to pursue a new challenge - just one year on from his return to Old Trafford - after United failed to qualify for the Champions League.
At Sporting Lisbon, United, Real Madrid and Juventus, Ronaldo has played in each of the last 19 Champions League campaigns. He is the top scorer in the competition's history and has not been absent from Europe's top table since the 2002/03 term, when he represented Sporting in the UEFA Cup.
Adding to the concern for United as their talismanic forward pushes to leave, a Premier League rival is ready to pounce. That is according to The Athletic, which reports Boehly is intrigued by what happens next for Ronaldo and Chelsea are considering making a move for the 37-year-old. This update comes after the Blues owner held talks with Ronaldo's agent, Jorge Mendes.
Despite Ronaldo’s stance, United have made it clear that they are not putting their 2021/22 top scorer up for sale. However, Boehly and Chelsea director Behdad Eghbali are keeping close tabs on the situation, with the striker not joining pre-season training with United on Monday due to family reasons.
Further, Thomas Tuchel is an admirer of the five-time Ballon d’Or winner. Any move for Ronaldo would require the manager's blessing and an assurance of how he would fit into his set-up, especially as Tuchel failed to get the best out of £97.5million club-record signing Romelu Lukaku last term.
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Although United have so far stood firm on Ronaldo, Chelsea’s hierarchy are reportedly not ruling out the possibility of completing a move for the Portuguese striker, who finished as the Premier League ’s third-top scorer in his first season back in the Premier League.
Only Liverpool ’s Mohamed Salah and Tottenham 's Son Heung-Min, who scored 23 top-flight goals apiece, netted more times in the league than Ronaldo (18) last term.
Chelsea’s priority transfer positions this summer are believed to be out wide and at centre-back, following the exits of Antonio Ruidger and Andreas Christensen, whose deals at Stamford Bridge recently expired.
The Blues have been strongly linked with interest in Juventus' Matthijs de Ligt as well as Manchester City ’s Nathan Ake and RB Leipzig’s Josko Gvardiol as potential options to add in defence.
Out wide, Chelsea are said to be closing in on an agreement with City to sign Raheem Sterling this summer in a deal initially worth £45million, rising to £55m with add-ons.
Leeds winger Raphinha has also been touted as a target for the Blues this window, although they face competition from Barcelona and Arsenal for the Brazilian.
