It is believed Chelsea have performed a U-turn in their reported pursuit of Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo following Raheem Sterling's arrival in London.
The Portuguese forward has been engulfed in a transfer saga ever since it was revealed that he had asked to leave United because he wants to win major trophies and compete in the UEFA Champions League next season, something the Red Devils cannot offer him following their dismal 2021/22 campaign that saw them finish outside the UCL qualification spots.
A number of European giants were initially said to have shown interest in the Portuguese superstar, including Bayern Munich, Napoli, Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea.
As time went on, though, PSG, Napoli and Bayern all effectively ruled themselves out of the race, while the Blues continued to be linked with Ronaldo following a meeting that had taken place between new co-owner Todd Boehly and the player's agent Jorge Mendes to discuss a potential transfer.
According to the Daily Mail, however, the Blues hierarchy have now made the decision to not pursue the 37-year-old following those conversations.
It is believed manager Thomas Tuchel wants the focus to be on the team and not on individual players, with new signing Sterling also viewed as a better fit for the side.
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Chelsea would likely have received a huge commercial boost if Ronaldo had joined them, but the final call is believed to have been made for footballing reasons.
While the London club and other European sides have seemingly pulled out of the race to sign him, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner has reportedly received a massive offer from a club in Saudi Arabia, one that could see him earn a mammoth £105 million (R2.1 billion) a year.
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