Former England and Liverpool striker Stan Collymore believes Cristiano Ronaldo will fit well at Chelsea and help bring the best in young players like Mason Mount and Reece James.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s agent Jorge Mendes met with Chelsea’s acting Chairman and interim sporting director Todd Boehly last week over a possible transfer to Chelsea after news broke that the five-time Ballon d’Or has told Manchester United that he wants to leave the club this summer.
The 37-year-old Portuguese international joined Manchester United last season and was named Manchester United player of the season after scoring 24 goals in 39 appearances including 18 goals in the Premier League. The Portuguese Superstar has one year left on his Manchester United contract with an option to extend for an additional year, which will probably be the end of his illustrious career.
Ronaldo’s move away from Manchester United has gained more weight after the Manchester United player of the season missed his reporting date for pre-season and was omitted from the Manchester United squad for their pre-season tour in Asia.
There are reports that Manchester United’s failure to attract better players in the transfer market and not playing in the Champions League next season are the reason he eyeing a move from Old Trafford.
However, Chelsea may face competition from Barcelona, Napoli, and Bayern Munich.
What did Stan Collymore say about Cristiano Ronaldo joining Chelsea?
The former Liverpool and Aston Villa striker wrote in his column on the Mirror Sport column, saying: “Ronaldo does not fit with United’s evolution, there’s no doubt about that. That’s why I have been saying for months now that they should move him on this summer. But for Chelsea, he’d be the perfect fit and I could well see his goals and Raheem Sterling’s assists taking the Blues significantly closer to Manchester City and Liverpool in the table.
“Ronaldo is a fitness geek and a player of the highest level, and his pushing of individuals would get the most out of a squad that is much more balanced and ready for success than the United team he wants to leave. Chelsea has had plenty of big-name players before and being in that part of southwest London would suit him down to the ground.
“There’s no doubt that players such as Mason Mount and Reece James would seriously benefit from working with him. London, the capital, would be a breath of fresh for Ronaldo. If Chelsea does get a deal done for him it would be a win-win for both parties.”
Chelsea is closing in on a deal for Raheem Sterling after agreeing to a £ 45 million transfer with Manchester City. A deal is likely to be announced this week.
Stan Collymore added: “For City, Chelsea, and for Sterling, the transfer is a good bit of business all round. City gets a good chunk of change, Chelsea gets a proven winner, and the player gets a move back to his home city and the chance to play for a club where he’s a little bit more the main man than he was at his last one. There are similarities between Sadio Mane’s decision to quit Liverpool for Bayern Munich and the move Sterling is making.
“In so much as I don’t get the feeling Sterling feels he has been as appreciated at City as perhaps he could have been. Kevin De Bruyne will be the main man at the Etihad while ever he is there.
“And I just wonder if the arrivals this summer of Erling Haaland and Jack Grealish last summer, great players that they are, have signaled to Sterling, a player who goes about his business quietly, that City are perhaps starting to take more of a galactico approach to their transfer policy than they have in years gone by.”
The Chelsea squad jetted to the US for their pre-season tour in the US on Saturday.
