Chelsea could emerge as favourites to land Cristiano Ronaldo in January following his latest interview, in which he accused Manchester United of betraying him.
According to Evening Standard, Chelsea will take up their chances to make some room to welcome Cristiano Ronaldo. Following the latest episode, it would be very hard for the Portuguese international to come back and don the Manchester United jersey again after the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s exit was in the offing as the wantaway Portuguese attacker tried to force the club to sell him to a UEFA Champions League side in the summer. But no one was ready to bear his huge wages, forcing him to stay at Manchester United.
Erik ten Hag has insisted that he is the last man to decide what the outcome will be on the pitch, and everybody needs to remain disciplined. Manchester United had already cautioned the 37-year-old after he left the stadium early during match against Tottenham Hotspur earlier this season. And later, the manager confirmed Ronaldo refused to come on the pitch.
The veteran forward was barred from playing against Chelsea but came back eventually in the UEFA Europa League. Ronaldo even donned the armband against Aston Villa over a week ago. But his latest episode suggests the player badly wants to leave Manchester United and might take the ugliest way to bid goodbye to the club which gave him his first share of fame. And Chelsea might be his next destination.
Chelsea considered signing Ronaldo in the summer transfer window, with Todd Boehly keen on securing his services. But former manager Thomas Tuchel was not a big fan of Ronaldo and was reluctant to add the wantaway Manchester United forward to his squad, as he thought it could disrupt his team’s morale.
However, Todd Boehly wants to bring the player to Stamford Bridge. The Chelsea owner reckons Ronaldo still has commercial viability in the market. As for Ronaldo’s latest episode, he criticised ten Hag and made it clear he respect the Dutch tactician very highly.
It remains to be seen whether Chelsea still decide to go ahead after the latest chapter as Manchester United might try to take things into their own hand. For now, the Blues remain the front-runners to prise the 37-year-old away from Manchester United.
