Chelsea are ready to launch an audacious £14 million bid to sign Manchester United striker Cristiano Ronaldo, according to Football Insider.
Ronaldo is reportedly looking to leave Old Trafford this summer after spending only one season with United since his return in 2021. The Portuguese international is yet to return to pre-season training – citing ‘family reasons’.
The 37-year-old was arguably United’s best player last season but wants a move as he’s reportedly unhappy with the club’s lack of ambition in the transfer market. He’s also unsettled after United failed to qualify for the Champions League.
Despite Ronaldo providing 24 goals and 3 assists in his 38 appearances in all competitions last season, Man Utd could only secure a UEFA Europa League place. So far in his career, Ronaldo has never played in the Europa League and it appears he doesn’t want to start now.
He still has another year left in his contract with the option to extend by a further season and Manchester United insist they don’t want to sell, but Chelsea have been linked with a move this week and it looks like they are ready to test United’s resolve.
According to Football Insider, Chelsea are ready to submit a formal £14m offer following talks between Todd Boehly and Thomas Tuchel. The source says United boss Erik ten Hag is open to letting Ronaldo leave in order to get his wages off the books, but it remains to be seen whether club chiefs would sell the Portuguese superstar to a direct rival.
Journalist Pete O’Rourke also supports this claim as he’s suggested on Twitter that Chelsea are preparing a £14m bid for Ronaldo, so speculation is mounting that the west Londoners are about to formalise their interest.
Do Chelsea need Ronaldo?
Thomas Tuchel recently parted ways with Romelu Lukaku only one year after splashing £97.5m to bring him back from Inter Milan, so the Blues don’t have a genuine striker in their ranks right now.
At the age of 37, Ronaldo has established himself a striker and he’s one of the best poachers in the world. It’s difficult to assess how Ronaldo would impact on Tuchel’s style of play or his team-mates performances, but one thing he does guarantee is goals.
One of Tuchel’s main focuses this summer is strengthening his defence. The West Londoners have already lost Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger. There are also rumors suggesting that Cesar Azpilicueta and Marcos Alonso could end up leaving as well. Therefore, we are looking at a new Chelsea backline for next season.
It’s clear that Tuchel needs to spend big money on his defence this summer. Therefore, signing Ronaldo for as low as £14m makes a lot of sense. It would give Chelsea the world class striker they need but also leave funds available to strengthen the defence.
However, we’ll have to wait and see how Manchester United respond if Chelsea do end up submitting a £14m offer….
