The summer transfer window has officially been shut, but Cristiano Ronaldo’s case is still open. The Portuguese had decided to quit Manchester United this summer to continue his love affair with the UEFA Champions League. However, Ronaldo’s failure to find a new club has resulted in the Mr. Champions League featuring in the Europa League for the first time in his career.
But one man was heavily interested in bringing Cristiano Ronaldo to his club. Chelsea’s new owner Todd Boehly had constantly pursued a deal for the 37-year-old forward, only for the then Blues’ boss Thomas Tuchel to reject the signing. A change of guard from Tuchel to Graham Potter has reportedly reignited the Blues’ Ronaldo pursuit, as Romano has revealed some inside news over it.
Chelsea prioritising a Sporting Director over Cristiano Ronaldo- Romano
Cristiano Ronaldo was not only rejected by Chelsea, but also by over half-a-dozen of the clubs his agent Jorge Mendes had approached. Bayern Munich, PSG, Marseille, Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid, Napoli all passed the chance to land the Portuguese superstar. Romano had confirmed that while Boehly wanted the forward at Stamford Bridge, Tuchel was the one against it.
The German, according to Romano stated that the Portugal captain would ‘destroy the spirit of his dressing room’ if signed this summer. As a result, Boehly invested in former Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang who was brought in for £10 million. But given the axing of Tuchel, it is being speculated that the West London club will once again try to get Cristiano Ronaldo.
However, Romano has revealed that the Blues have “different priorities” at the moment over the acquisition of the five-time Ballon d’Or winner. Speaking on Caught Offside, the Italian journalist said:
“My understanding at the moment is that there is no talk about Cristiano Ronaldo, as Chelsea are busy with different priorities, including the new sporting director. That means it’s too early to know about Chelsea’s intentions for January.
“As I said on my recent YouTube video, Todd Boehly wanted Cristiano Ronaldo, but Thomas Tuchel was very clear on more than one occasion that he had no intention to go for Cristiano Ronaldo. He was offered to Chelsea, but also to Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid. [But] For now, he is a Manchester United player, and he remains 100% professional in training as he looks to get back into the starting line-up.”
Further talking about Chelsea’s hunt for a Sporting Director, Romano added:
“All the names are still secret, there are three candidates in the list but Todd Boehly wants to decide before the January transfer window. I think Chelsea absolutely needs to appoint a director ready to work together with Graham Potter on every single point of the squad.
“Former Liverpool man Michael Edwards would be a great call but it’s not easy to convince him. He was approached by Chelsea before but wants a break. Maxwell was another name on the club’s list, but my understanding was that this was never advanced.”
Cristiano Ronaldo’s wish to feature in the Champions League this season is slowly moving towards remaining unfulfilled as a January move to Stamford Bridge is also looking bleak. He has already started his journey in the Europa League and seems it will end there itself.