William Gallas has urged his former club Chelsea to sign Cristiano Ronaldo on a six-month deal as he continues to look for a new team.
The 37-year-old recorded an explosive interview with Piers Morgan last month where the former Manchester United striker slammed the club as well as manager Erik ten Hag. United then took the decision to mutually terminate Ronaldo's contract, leaving the six-time Ballon d'Or winner without a club.
Now that the World Cup is over, where Portugal were knocked out in the quarter-final at the hands of Morocco, Ronaldo is searching for a new place to play his football. He has been strongly linked with a move to Saudi Arabia, but speculation over a shock switch to Chelsea is still doing the rounds.
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Gallas, who represented Chelsea from 2001 until 2006, has advised his former club to take a gamble with Ronaldo and sign him on a deal until the end of the season. The former France defender brought up the fact Chelsea have endured struggles in front of goal recently and the ex-United striker could be the solution.
"Chelsea have to buy a striker. They have to find the right striker who fits the system," Gallas told Genting Casino. "Chelsea are in the position where they are not scoring many goals, and Ronaldo could do that.
"It would have been difficult for him at the World Cup on the bench, so he needs time to think to avoid a similar situation to what happened at Man United. If he goes to Chelsea, it should only be until the end of the season but I think he could do a good job there."
Ronaldo's Portugal teammate, Rafael Leao, is also someone who has been strongly linked with a move to Chelsea. football.london understands the Blues hold a strong interest in the AC Milan attacker and that the admiration of his talents has been around for numerous seasons.
The 23-year-old has around 18 months remaining on his contract at the San Siro and talks are ongoing over extending his deal. Whether or not Leao will want to commit his future to the Rossoneri remains to be seen, with interest in his signature from across Europe.
Gallas also commented on Leao, admitting he sees the talent that is there. However, the former Chelsea defender has his doubts over whether the Portugal winger would be a success in England.
"Rafael Leao is a good player," Gallas added. "What he has done for AC Milan is great. He is quick and good, technically, and has assisted the likes of [Olivier] Giroud.
"He could be good for Chelsea but the Premier League is a different league. In the Premier League, it is tough physically and you have to give your all for 90 minutes.
"I don't know if he will suit the Premier League as defenders are stronger and do not give you as much space. He will struggle because of that. If he does move to Chelsea, he will have to change and give more."
Chelsea are looking to sign a central striker in January following the season-ending injury Armando Broja suffered recently. A winger like Leao, though, may be one the club revisit in the summer.
football.london understands a central midfielder remains a priority for the club. The likes of Edson Alvarez and Declan Rice continue to be of interest to Chelsea, but the rumours around Jude Bellingham won't go away either.
Bellingham is one of the most in-demand players in world football right now. The 19-year-old was sensational for England at the recently-concluded FIFA World Cup in Qatar and that has attracted even more interest from some of Europe's biggest clubs.
Real Madrid and Liverpool are two of the favourites to sign the Borussia Dortmund midfielder at the moment. Chelsea have been given an outside shot to bring the England international to Stamford Bridge, something Gallas is desperate to see happen.
Gallas said: "Bellingham should go to Chelsea. They need a midfielder who is tall, strong and can go box to box. Bellingham is a perfect player for Chelsea and they should have signed him earlier.
"Now, it will be more difficult as he has a connection with Liverpool. Bellingham is the future of English football and he has everything. He has everything, and if he carries on like this, he will be England's best midfielder."
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