Chelsea owner Todd Boehly may be about to repeat Roman Abramovich transfer mistake

Chelsea owner Todd Boehly could be about to make the first mistake of his tenure at Stamford Bridge if he brings Cristiano Ronaldo to the club ahead of next season. The American billionaire took over the reins in west London from Roman Abramovich earlier this year and is said to be planning on spending heavily to improve Thomas Tuchel’s squad over the course of this summer.

Boehly is yet to rubber-stamp any new signings at Chelsea but is believed to be eyeing up a number of potential targets to pursue over the coming days and weeks. One of these is said to be Ronaldo, who has reportedly informed Manchester United of his desire to leave the club amid their failure to qualify for next season’s Champions League.

The 37-year-old is undoubtedly still among the best players in the Premier League after leading the charge for United with 24 goals in all competitions over the course of last season. However, it remains to be seen whether he would be able to succeed in west London, with Boehly seemingly more interested in snapping him up than Tuchel currently is.

There is every chance that Ronaldo could fail to adjust at Chelsea, who play a high-tempo pressing style in the final third when out of possession. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner struggled to live up to the intense demands of Ralf Rangnick during the second half of last season and would surely fare no better with the Blues if he does not fit into their chosen system.

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It seems as though a move to Chelsea for Ronaldo could serve as a repeat of their failed experiment with Romelu Lukaku, who has just returned to Inter Milan on loan despite joining the Blues as their club-record signing last summer. The Belgian forward is more mobile than Ronaldo but was still unable to perform at his best under the guidance of Tuchel, who could struggle again if tasked with managing the Portuguese icon at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea played better with Kai Havertz at the tip of their attacking trident last season, which suggests that a more dynamic and versatile forward would provide a stronger option for Tuchel to work with than Ronaldo. It remains to be seen whether a potential move to Chelsea will come to fruition for the United man, though, with the Blues yet to firm up their interest in securing his services.

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Ronaldo is said to be chasing a move away from Old Trafford in order to continue playing European football at the highest level until he eventually decides to retire. He is said to be adamant that he has another three or four years left in him and is unwilling to spend his time outside of trophy contention at United, who have failed to win a major title since clinching the Europa League back in 2017.

He remains tied down to his current employers until the end of next season but is thought to be keen on cutting ties with the Red Devils after just one year back in Manchester. Chelsea are not the only club to have recently been credited with an interest in Ronaldo’s signature, with Bayern Munich also said to be weighing up the possibility of snapping him up to replace Robert Lewandowski, who is desperate to secure a move to Barcelona over the coming weeks.

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