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Cristiano Ronaldo could be handed a Premier League lifeline if Chelsea boss Graham Potter is willing to take a chance on him in January. The Portugal international’s career at Manchester United is all but over after he left the substitutes bench and stormed out of Old Trafford on Wednesday night before his side’s clash with Tottenham had even come to an end.
Ronaldo signed for United for a second time in the summer of 2021 following nine years with Real Madrid and a three-year stint with Juventus. But he came under fire at times during the last campaign and pushed for a move away from Old Trafford earlier this year after his side failed to qualify for the Champions League.
Ronaldo was faced with a paucity of realistic options as he sought a club who could offer him Champions League football and afford his enormous wages. But Chelsea were reportedly in the mix to sign him after Todd Boehly bought the club from Roman Abramovich.
Boehly apparently wanted a marquee signing to mark the start of his tenure and thought Ronaldo would be the ideal man. But he clashed with former manager Thomas Tuchel, who told the American that the player “will destroy the spirit in my dressing room,” according to Bild.
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Ronaldo’s time at United has clearly run its course, so the 13-time Premier League champions would likely be more than willing to cancel the player’s contract and allow him to leave for free if Chelsea do come knocking. And the 37-year-old blockbuster striker could even be the answer to the Blues’ goalscoring problems.
Chelsea have only scored 21 goals in 14 games across all competitions this season and failed to find the back of the net on Wednesday night as they were held to a 0-0 draw by Brentford. Manchester City, by comparison, have scored 44 times in the same amount of matches. And Potter will be well aware that his team need to register more goals.
Potter would have to think long and hard about whether he would be able to flourish as a manager with Ronaldo at the club, however. Ronaldo has developed a reputation for being a formidable force on and off the pitch. And the veteran would have the power to undermine his boss at the drop of a hat if the relationship turned sour.
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