Cristiano Ronaldo leaving Manchester United in the January transfer window which opens in just over two months is looking highly likely after the forward once again found himself at crossroads with his manager. Erik ten Hag was fuming after the Portugal international’s tantrums during United’s win over Spurs, where the substitute stormed down the tunnel even before the full-time whistle was blown. The manager later confirmed Ronaldo refused to come on as a sub, and didn’t even wait for his post-match talk.
As a result, Ten Hag dropped Cristiano from his squad completely for the Chelsea game as the Dutchman revealed it was a ‘strike’ for the player who repeated the same offense from the preseason game against Rayo Vallecano. The Red Devils supporting their gaffer’s decision has further enraged the 37-year-old who is now desperate to quit the club in January. However, he already made a failed attempt to leave Old Trafford during the summer as former Arsenal striker Kevin Campbell has now assessed there’s only one club which can bring in the forward in the winter market.
Campbell tips Cristiano Ronaldo to join Graham Potter’s Chelsea
Cristiano Ronaldo and his agent Jorge Mendes approached a host of top European clubs throughout the summer for a potential move. The Champions League’s all-time top scorer wanted to continue to play in the competition, after United failed to achieve the same last season. However, with clubs in Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Atletico Madrid, Barcelona and Chelsea initially showing great interest in him, all backed out pertaining to different reasons leaving Ronaldo nowhere to go.
As a result, the five-time Champions League winner had to feature in the tier-two Europa League with United, for the first time in his career. But he still understood to be hoping for a move out in January, as Campbell feels Chelsea would be the best and perhaps the only option for Cristiano to go and return to Champions League. Speaking on talkSPORT, Campbell said:
“He’s eligible [as a player] to play Champions League football. And you look at the Premier League, of the four teams that are in the Champions League there’s one – only one – team he can go to. We know who is not going to be; it’s not going to be Spurs, it’s not going to be Liverpool. Yes [it could be Chelsea].
No, not inside info. [But] Todd Boehly [Chelsea owner] is there [who was interested], new manager [Graham Potter] is in and if you are the manager at Chelsea, you have got Aubameyang there but you have never handled the big players really and you are proving that you can get them playing. And the opportunity to get Cristiano Ronaldo, in your club, that might be something which could appeal to him.”
Chelsea still remained to be linked with Cristiano Ronaldo, since it was clear that their new owner Todd Boehly wanted to make the United player his statement signing in his debut transfer window at Stamford Bridge. However, the Blues’ then manager Thomas Tuchel blocked a potential move since he didn’t want his set-up to be ‘disturbed’. But after the German’s ousting last month, Graham Potter is now in charge at Chelsea and could be excited by the idea of slotting in Ronaldo in his line-up.
Chelsea do need a free-scoring center-forward, despite having the likes of Aubameyang and Armando Broja, as it was evident in their 0-0 draw against Brentford mid-week in the league. Ronaldo could be that man for Potter, and a six-month loan move could bear minimal risk. The Portugal captain will lead his country in the World Cup next month, and is then slated to make a decision on his future with reports of United ready to let him go have surfaced.