The debate regarding Cristiano Ronaldo is not going away and Chelsea have received another call to sign the player after it he continues to push for a move away from Old Trafford despite meeting with new manager Erik ten Hag.
Todd Boehly made a surprise move during his first weeks as interim sporting director to meet with Ronaldo's agent Jorge Mendes, having a conversation that involved being offered the forward's services. This came after it was reported that the 37-year-old wanted to leave the club.
Ronaldo then missed the entirety of Ten Hag's first pre-season tour, only meeting his manager in person last week for a crunch meeting at Carrington.
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For a player with nearly 500 club league goals he is not finding a move simple this summer due to his high wages, which are due to be cut by 25 per cent along with his teammates' after failing to qualify for the Champions League. Although United are standing firm that the player is not for sale there is increased speculation that he could yet leave on a loan deal.
It is also believed that Tuchel would be against signing Ronaldo having previously issued statements that would be contradicted by making a move for the striker in a footballing sense. The former Real Madrid star scored 18-league goals last season, one less than Chelsea's two top scorers in the league combined, and offers the clinical edge that the Blues have missed under the German manager.
However, the debate as to what he offers outside his ability in the box is a strongly contested one and hinges on team values. Former Blues midfielder Scott Minto doesn't see his workrate as an issue though. He said: "Cristiano Ronaldo is in a really really poor team, Man United were so poor last season, and yet he scored 18 Premier League goals.
“You can argue that it is all about him [Ronaldo], but you can still sit him down and say: ‘Look we need you to do this, are you willing to do it? If not we won’t come in for you. If you are, we will’." The Red Devils scored less goals with Ronaldo in their team than the season before without him and he has been criticised for playing for himself. This is something that Tuchel would need to get out of him if he was to play a part in a high energy Chelsea team.
Minto, who made 63 appearances for Chelsea, explained: "He is capable of pressing – it’s not that he can’t do it, it’s that he doesn’t want to do it. I covered Real Madrid for four years and watched every game, he was a one and two-touch player, he was a box player, scoring goals. To ask him to change that at the age of 37 is going to be something a bit different.
“You can build a team around that. When Thomas Tuchel came in, he won the Champions League and got Chelsea back into the top four on the basis of a good defence, not necessarily scoring goals. The defence doesn’t look good at the moment and we haven’t got the goals, either. So I think Chelsea should go big for Ronaldo.”
The longer the summer goes on without Chelsea signing a striker then the more links to Ronaldo would make sense. Tuchel has been crying out for new attackers, though selling some of his current crop is the key first step to incomings, and it is not implausible that the German becomes more attracted to the short-term option of Ronaldo if his troubles drag on.
It isn't something that should be too concerning for fans though: "I think these issues were always going to inevitable with Chelsea this summer, we were playing catch up after being in limbo before Todd Boehly took over," Minto told TalkSport. "I do think there’s money there and he does want to spend it, but I do think they’re very short. To lose 4-0 against Arsenal was slightly worrying. I never thought Chelsea would have a great chance of winning the title this season, but I do think they should be cementing third and getting close to Man City and Liverpool. Whereas at the moment, I’m slightly concerned and I’m looking over my shoulder.”
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