Transfer News: Napoli join Chelsea in race for Manchester United striker Cristiano Ronaldo
According to The Athletic’s David Ornstein (Subscription Required) [h/t Sun], Italian giants Napoli join Chelsea and Bayern Munich in the race for talented Manchester United superstar Cristiano Ronaldo.
Ronaldo dropped a transfer bombshell recently asking to leave Manchester United just one year after joining them from Juventus. The Portuguese forward has told the Red Devils to accept a suitable offer that comes in with quite a few clubs interested in the striker.
At 37, Ronaldo might no longer be the electric player he once used to be but he has successfully made himself a goal-scoring machine in his latter years. Despite a poor campaign for Man United overall, the former Real Madrid man had quite a decent season from a personal viewpoint.
With Manchester United failing to qualify for the Champions League next season, at 37, it looks like Ronaldo doesn’t want to stick around for a season of Europa League football and might want to move to a CL club. It would be the perfect swansong to the career of a man nicknamed ‘Mr. Champions League’.
Ronaldo played 38 matches for the struggling Man United side last season scoring 24 goals and providing three assists across all competitions. These numbers are exceptional, especially for a player who is 37 years old and still performing at the highest level.
Chelsea’s striking woes last season have been well documented with the Blues struggling to find goals from their strikers. Romelu Lukaku was dismal upon his return last season and has left the club on a season-long loan to Inter Milan.
Timo Werner has never been prolific since his move to Stamford Bridge and despite it being a short-term fix only, signing Ronaldo makes sense. If there is one thing that Ronaldo knows how to do, it is to put the ball in the back of the net.
If Chelsea manage to convince Ronaldo to sign. it would be a very shrewd signing for them. He could fit into Thomas Tuchel’s system and prove to be an apt striker for the Blues. He will also be getting to play in the UEFA Champions League.
Chelsea might be interested in signing Ronaldo but they are not alone. Regardless, if they manage to pull it off, it will be the perfect short-term fix because his goal-scoring record is not up for debate.
More Chelsea News
- Transfer News: Barcelona want to lure Cesar Azpilicueta and Marcos Alonso from Chelsea for €20M
- Chelsea make enquiry about Cristiano Ronaldo transfer situation at Manchester United
- Juventus reveal their stance regarding the transfer of Chelsea target Matthijs de Ligt
It is said that Ronaldo is not happy with Man United’s work in the transfer market so far. Let’s see what he thinks of the Blues, who are yet to sign a senior player and have already seen Antonio Rudiger, Andreas Christensen, and Romelu Lukaku walk out the door this summer, be it permanently or temporarily.
