Chelsea make Cristiano Ronaldo transfer decision

According to the latest reports, Chelsea won’t be knocking on CR7’s door this summer.

Chelsea have decided not to attempt to sign Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United.

That’s according to The Athletic. The report claims Chelsea won’t make any bids for Ronaldo. Romelu Lukaku’s loan return to Inter Milan opened up a slot in the Blues attack. However, Thomas Tuchel appears set to fill the void in his frontline with his current players instead.

The manager always had the final say in the Ronaldo transfer decision after the player’s agent, Jorge Mendes, discussed the possibility with Chelsea’s new co-owner, Todd Boehly, in Portugal last month.

“I would not rule it out, but right now it is not the priority,” Tuchel recently told Sky Sports about possible moves for Ronaldo and Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski.

“The priority right now is defense, it’s not a secret. From there, we need to see what’s possible.”

🇵🇱 Robert Lewandowski
🇵🇹 Cristiano Ronaldo

Thomas Tuchel refused to comment on potentially signing the forwards but did say signing a striker is not the priority for Chelsea right now. pic.twitter.com/qQ6550FdVD

— Football Daily (@footballdaily) July 14, 2022

Who will replace Lukaku?

Raheem Sterling is set to become a major focal point of Tuchel’s frontline.

The 27-year-old completed a £47.5 million transfer to Chelsea from Manchester City this week. The club announced the deal on Wednesday. He is the first signing of the Boehly era at Stamford Bridge.

While not a natural striker, Sterling has covered as a center-forward for Man City in the past.

Chelsea can also call on Kai Havertz, Timo Werner, Christian Pulisic, Mason Mount, Callum Hudson-Odoi, and maybe even Armando Broja to play in attacking roles for the 2022/23 campaign.

The Blues, meanwhile, are on the verge of completing a €40 million deal to sign Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly. They also have eyes on Manchester City star Nathan Ake and PSG ace Presnel Kimpembe.