A potential shock transfer seeing Cristiano Ronaldo ditch Manchester United for Chelsea this summer was among topics discussed during a recent meeting between new owner Todd Boehly and super-agent Jorge Mendes. Ronaldo is growing disgruntled over United’s recruitment struggles as Boehly plans to make a splash in his first window at the Stamford Bridge helm.
According to David Ornstein, Boehly met Mendes in Portugal last week, with Chelsea yet to make the first signing of his tenure since buying the club from Roman Abramovich. And the idea of Ronaldo making an incredible intra-Premier League switch this summer arose.
United plan to keep the 37-year-old for Erik ten Hag’s first season, and he has no problem with the club’s new manager. However, he is understood to be increasingly concerned over the Red Devils’ lack of transfer activity after their worst-ever Premier League season, especially while their rivals strengthen.
Ronaldo has an undeniable affection for the Old Trafford giants but is desperate for them to match his ambition to enjoy a successful final season before his contract expires. Mendes has also discussed the possibility with Bayern Munich, and it currently isn’t known whether Chelsea will attempt to lure the Portuguese icon to west London.
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Ronaldo will have been massively disappointed with how his first season back at United unfolded after a remarkable return from Juventus last summer. Despite netting 24 goals in all competitions, no other Red Devils player surpassed 10 as they suffered a Champions League round-of-16 exit and a sixth-place finish in the Premier League.
Ronaldo, turning 38 this year, for all his excellence, will understand his career won’t be able to continue forever, and he won’t want to sacrifice much more time if he’s not going to be winning silverware. Mendes sounding out interested parties across Europe potentially indicates he’s actively looking to leave M16.
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United will hope to ease Ronaldo’s worries by backing Ten Hag with some new faces by the time they jet off for their pre-season tour next month. They are advancing talks for Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong, with the hope a deal will soon be agreed, and have also offered free agent Christian Eriksen a contract.
Ten Hag also wants a new forward to help distribute the goalscoring workload, with Ajax winger Antony among his leading targets. But whether Ronaldo has already made his mind up about a new challenge remains to be seen. United need to recruit some players for more reasons than one.
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