Paul Merson believes Chelsea should try to sign Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United before the transfer window closes on September 1.
Ronaldo, 37, wants to leave Old Trafford this summer to play Champions League football. The Blues, who won the competition in 2021, can offer that after finishing third in the Premier League last season. In contrast, United laboured over the finishing line to end up in sixth and will play in the Europa League.
Chelsea were interested in Ronaldo earlier this summer but never made a move, with Thomas Tuchel ignoring speculation. Yet Arsenal legend and Blues fan Merson is urging his boyhood club to reconsider their position over the coming days.
"Chelsea were outstanding against Tottenham on Sunday, they dominated the match from start to finish, but they haven't got a goalscorer or centre-forward and that cost them three points," Merson told Sky Sports after a pulsating 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge.
"Despite their domination, Spurs goalkeeper Hugo Lloris made just one save. That tells you all you need to know. I cannot believe they didn't or haven't gone in for Cristiano Ronaldo. He just ticks all of the boxes Chelsea are lacking.
"Playing for Chelsea is not like playing for Manchester United, who are working from the halfway line. Chelsea are on the edge of the box, dominating games. Chelsea have unbelievable wing-backs, they dominate football matches, if they were putting the ball into the box for Ronaldo I would dread to think how many goals he could score."
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A last-minute Harry Kane header denied Chelsea all three points against Tottenham on Sunday. The game finished 2-2, despite the Blues having six more shots than Spurs. Tellingly, the hosts only found the target three times in 16 attempts.
Ronaldo is the greatest goalscorer in history, finding the net 450 times in just 438 games for Real Madrid. He needs just two more goals at club level to reach 700 and is the highest scorer of all time in men's international football, scoring 117 goals for Portugal.
Despite his advancing years, Ronaldo is still delivering the goods at club level. He netted 24 goals for United last season, nine more than Chelsea's top scorer, Romelu Lukaku. It's also important to note that Lukaku re-joined Inter Milan on loan earlier this summer.
Yet there are question marks over what Ronaldo brings the team, bar goals. According to a study in February, the Portuguese superstar covered the least amount of ground and produced the least amount of tackles in comparison to United's other forwards.
When asked if he's interested in Ronaldo in July, Tuchel - who employs a high-intensity, high-pressing philosophy - said: "He's a fantastic player for another fantastic club in the Premier League but out of respect we don't comment on these players because we don't like other coaches to speak about our players."
Ronaldo is one of the most decorated players of all time, winning seven league titles and five Champions Leagues. He's also won the Ballon d'Or five times and was part of Portugal's victorious Euro 2016 squad, beating hosts France 1-0 in the Parisian final.
