Chelsea have decided against pursuing a deal for Manchester United superstar Cristiano Ronaldo this summer, 90min understands.
The London club have been on the lookout for reinforcements for their goal-shy frontline following Romelu Lukaku's return to Inter on loan, and Raheem Sterling's arrival was confirmed on Wednesday as part of that process.
However, the England international will not be joined at Stamford Bridge by Ronaldo.
Although new owner Todd Boehly had been enticed by the opportunity to make such a statement signing, sources have told 90min that Chelsea's interest has now cooled.
90min have been informed that head coach Thomas Tuchel would prefer a right forward to be prioritised - although he already has a number of attacking players at his disposal. It has previously been suggested that the Blues boss is lukewarm about working with ageing superstars such as Ronaldo and Neymar, who has also been linked.
As reported by 90min, Chelsea were alerted to the 37-year-old's potential availability earlier this month after the forward asked Manchester United to consider any suitable offers that came in for him this summer - a decision motivate by the desire to play in the Champions League and challenge for yet more silverware and personal accolades.
Boehly had already met with Ronaldo's agent Jorge Mendes after assuming control of the club, and the attacker's name was mentioned among several others.
The Portugal international still has a year left on his contract, and United have publicly maintained that he is not for sale. However, 90min understands they would not stand in his way if a satisfactory bid arrived.
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Although he is valued at a modest £15m, very few clubs would be able to take on his £400,000-per-week wages - despite his willingness to take a pay cut - meaning only Chelsea, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain were viable options. The German giants have also already ruled themselves out of the bidding, however.
Ronaldo has been given extended time off amid the uncertainty surrounding his future due to 'family reasons', and he is yet to join up with their pre-season tour as a result. Although Chelsea are off the table, he will still push for an exit in the remainder of the window.
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Source : 90min