Chelsea are the favourites to sign Cristiano Ronaldo in January after the Portuguese star admitted he felt 'betrayed' by Manchester United.
The star striker has only scored on league goal this season and was left out of Erik ten Hag's final Premier League squad before the World Cup break and the game could prove to have been the last chance he has to play in England.
With Ronaldo making his feelings clear towards the club and Ten Hag's own stance becoming obvious in recent weeks, the end is near. But that only opens up avenues for discussions over where his next club will be, especially with just two more competitive domestic games before the January transfer window.
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In a revealing interview with Piers Morgan, 37-year-old Ronaldo admitted to feeling he was being forced out of the club, saying,"Not only the coach but the other two or three guys that are around the club." He also added that it was at senior executive level: "Yes. I felt betrayed."
Given that Ronaldo will now spend most of the next six weeks with his international side in Qatar, it is unlikely for much to be done regarding his future, but on January 1 he will be able to negotiate a new deal with another club for the summer. That's if another way out isn't sorted sooner.
Chelsea have previously been linked with him over the summer as Todd Boehly planned the signing of a major superstar for commercial and marketing reasons at Stamford Bridge, but Thomas Tuchel vetoed that, Graham Potter is unlikely to have a different stance.
However, according to SkyBet, the Blues are one of just three teams in the running to sign him, with Atletico Madrid and childhood club Sporting Lisbon also linked. Chelsea are also the favourites at 2/1, with Sporting at 3/1 and Diego Simeone's men a long way back at 25/1.
Although this means very little, and the lack of teams only demonstrates the uncertainty around Ronaldo, the obvious remaining links to Chelsea still remain, and they're unlikely to be going anywhere in the near future.
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