Chelsea had a deal in place for Cristiano Ronaldo before Manchester United via Sir Alex Ferguson stepped in last year, it has been reveald.
Il Corriere Dello Sport’s editor Ivan Zazzaroni reveals Ronaldo had even more options when he decided to part ways with the Bianconeri.
“When Cristiano decided to leave Turin, he was convinced that the whole world was waiting for him,” Zazzaroni wrote in Monday’s column.
“He found himself a step away from Chelsea, the club had reached an agreement with Jorge Mendes, but found strong opposition from Tuchel.
“Bayern Munich’s shareholders voted against his signature, while City wanted to sell Raheem Sterling to Barcelona before completing the deal. Borussia Dortmund signalled their availability. Ronaldo initially refused the offer but changed his mind when he realised there were no more options. It was too late.
“Just 20 minutes were enough for Sir Alex Ferguson to welcome his former pupil back after he had snubbed a €200m offer from Saudi Arabia.
“It could be his next destination even if Ronaldo would like to remain in Europe, but which club will accept the risk after what happened at Manchester United? Which coach will please a unique, but potentially uncomfortable champion? The World Cup will give this answer.”
