Manchester United’s plans to send Cristiano Ronaldo packing from the club in January could be scuppered by a direct Premier League, according to reports.
The outfit in question? Chelsea.
The name of veteran attacker Ronaldo, of course, has taken its place front and centre in the headlines across the week to date.
This comes after the five-time Ballon d’Or winner dropped nothing short of a bombshell on all associated with Man United.
Making use of an interview with presenter Piers Morgan, Ronaldo slammed his current employers, head coach Erik ten Hag, club legend Wayne Rooney and more.
The fallout from the situation, in turn, has been equally swift as it has intense, with widespread reports over the course of the last 48 hours having all but confirmed that CR7′s time at Old Trafford is as good as over.
Such a move would see the final six months of Ronaldo’s deal become moot, allowing him to link up with a new club in January.
As alluded to above, though, the alleged presence of one such outfit on the Portuguese’s list of suitors could yet result in Manchester United keeping hold of their disgruntled frontman.
As per a report from Simon Mullock of The Mirror, Chelsea would be ready to pounce, in the case of Ronaldo becoming available as a free agent.
This comes after the Blues also sounded out the possibility of a transfer during the summer.
Amid their ongoing battle with Graham Potter’s troops for a top-4 berth, though, the Manchester United hierarchy are wary of opening the door to such a potential threat to linking up with a direct rival.
CR7, in turn, could yet find himself watching on from the stands in Manchester through next summer.
Chelsea make Cristiano Ronaldo U-turn and leave Man Utd in catch-22 over sacking star | ✍️ @MullockSMirror https://t.co/T4Kj9xNnef
— Mirror Football (@MirrorFootball) November 19, 2022
