Thomas Tuchel has broken his silence on Cristiano Ronaldo's Chelsea transfer links.
football.london understand that the Blues have sounded out a move for the striker, with Ronaldo keen to ply his trade in the Champions League this season. According to ESPN, the Portugal international is open to a move to Stamford Bridge, but Chelsea remain hesitant as to whether to escalate their interest, with Tuchel believed to have been granted the final say.
The Portuguese star has not been included in Erik ten Hag's squad which has travelled to Thailand for pre-season, with 'family reasons' cited as the reason for his absence. Ronaldo is yet to have reported back for pre-season training, despite being expected to return last Monday.
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Chelsea have travelled to the United States for pre-season. As seen on Twitter, after being greeted by international fans, Tuchel was asked whether the club are going to sign Ronaldo. The German replied by smiling and saying: "I will not tell you."
Tuchel's response leaves a lot open to interpretation, but he hasn't exactly closed the door on a potential transfer for the 37-year-old superstar.
Thomas Tuchel breaks silence on Chelsea's interest in Cristiano Ronaldo
And in other positive news, the Blues are expected to announce the signing of Raheem Sterling in the coming days or even hours after he signed his new contract on Sunday. The Englishman has penned a five-year deal at the club and there's an option to extend for a further season if needs be.
Sterling becomes the first men's team signing of the Todd Boehly era and will join up with Tuchel and the first-team squad for the Blues' pre-season tour, during which games against Club America, Charlotte FC and Arsenal will be played.
football.london understands Chelsea will pay Manchester City an initial fee worth around £45million for Sterling. A further £10million will be due to the Premier League champions if a number of performance-related add-ons are met throughout the 27-year-old's time at Stamford Bridge.
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