Cristiano Ronaldo has been tipped to form a mouth-watering partnership with Lionel Messi at Paris Saint-Germain.
The Manchester United superstar's future with the Red Devils is uncertain ahead of Erik ten Hag's arrival as their new permanent manager - and Paul Merson reckons PSG could swoop in as they aim to finally win the Champions League. Despite sensationally signing Ronaldo's eternal rival, Messi, last summer, Mauricio Pochettino 's men were unable to get their hands on Europe's top prize this term.
Now they could lose Kylian Mbappe to Real Madrid on a free transfer in the summer. As a result Merson has put forward Ronaldo as a short-term replacement and "proven asset" in the Champions League. "This might be Cristiano Ronaldo's last year in the Premier League. He'll want to play in the Champions League - he's played in it all his career," the Arsenal legend told Sportskeeda.
"I'd be surprised if Erik ten Hag wants him there to be honest - he's trying to build his team, and Ronaldo is 37 years old. PSG could go for him and make him their short-term replacement for Kylian Mbappe. PSG only want one thing - the Champions League. Ronaldo is a proven asset in the competition - he's scored goals, he sells shirts, he's done it all.
"Ligue 1 is an easy league, and Ronaldo will be able to focus on the Champions League at PSG. With Lionel Messi already at the club, we may well see two of the greatest players of all time playing for the same team."
With another season remaining on his contract, incoming boss Ten Hag will have to decide on the 37-year-old's future over the coming months. In the meantime, interim manager Ralf Rangnick has been singing his praises, talking up Ronaldo's impact in a dysfunctional United team after his 23rd goal of the campaign salvaged a 1-1 draw with Chelsea on Thursday.
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"Not only the goal that he scored today, his whole performance, his attitude, how often he helped in our own half, at the age of 37, a player like him, this is not normal to do that," Rangick told Sky Sports post-match.
"He showed that today and if he plays like he played today, he can still be a great help for this team. In the end, it is both Erik's and also Cristiano's decision what they want to do so I think it is not for me to speak about that but as I say the performance of Cristiano today was really great."
