Despite some late attempts from Jorge Mendes, it looks like Manchester United’s Cristiano Ronaldo will not be joining Napoli, as he pushes for a move to Chelsea.
After all, part of the deal the Portuguese agent was trying to put together was Victor Osimhen going the other way, which would have cost the Red Devils more than €100m.
That money has since been spent on Antony, who looks to be the final attacking reinforcement for Erik ten Hag from Manchester United’s end this summer.
However, Corriere dello Sport make it clear Mendes hasn’t given up on finding Ronaldo a new club in the dying days of the window, despite the Portugal international not being convinced by the idea of a move to the Serie A side.
The reason for that is he doesn’t believe the Italians ‘have many chances of making it beyond the group stages’ in the Champions League, and he is ‘still animated by the hope of going to Chelsea, despite the wall put up by Thomas Tuchel’.
Ronaldo wants to play in a team capable of competing for the trophy, and convincing him to go to Napoli ‘will be extremely hard’, as his ‘real desire is to go to Kalidou Koulibaly’s Chelsea’.
As mentioned above, though, Tuchel ‘is resisting’, despite the fact his ‘break with Manchester United is profound’, described as ‘incurable unless there are sensational reversals’.
The main issue for the 37-year-old is that ‘time is running out and Mendes’ priority is to find a solution’.
It seems that any move to Chelsea would have to be orchestrated by Todd Boehly himself, agains the wishes of Tuchel, which doesn’t appear to be something the American owner is ready to do.
