Cristiano Ronaldo latest: Man Utd turmoil opens up path for move that ticks all boxes

Former Arsenal striker Kevin Campbell feels there could be potential for a Cristiano Ronaldo move to Chelsea in January, as it would tick multiple boxes.

Ronaldo has been as divisive a character as anybody in the Premier League during this campaign. There is no denying that the Portuguese is still a talented footballer.

Indeed, the 37-year-old was Manchester United‘s top goalscorer upon his return to the club last season, with 24 goals.

However, there was a lot of speculation around him moving on in the summer. It has been made obvious that the Portuguese wants to play Champions League football, something United cannot offer this season.

Despite that, it would have still been expected that he would have a consistent role in the side.

That, however, has not been the case. This season, Ronaldo has started just six games out of a possible 12, only two of those starts have come in the Premier League.

The situation surrounding the former Real Madrid star is clearly not running smoothly. That much was evident in United’s 2-0 win over Tottenham in the week.

Indeed, things got to boiling point, as Ronaldo refused to come on as a substitute, and walked down the tunnel.

Manager Erik ten Hag has insisted that the striker remains an important member of his squad. However, he will not feature in the Red Devils’ match this weekend.

Indeed, it may not be long until his United career comes to a bitter end.

Ronaldo move to Chelsea possible

Former Arsenal striker Campbell thinks a move could come as soon as January, in a move that would tick boxes for all parties.

“I think there might be a loan in January. He wants to play Champions League football, he’s eligible to play Champions League football,” he told talkSPORT.

“If you look at the Premier League, of the four teams that are in the Champions League, there’s only one team who he can go to.

“It’s not going to be Spurs, it’s not going to be Liverpool. Yes [Chelsea]. Todd Boehly’s there, new manager’s in.”

The Blues were linked with a move for Ronaldo in the summer. However, the deal never went through, and some have suggested that may have been because former manager Thomas Tuchel did not want the star.

Not only could a move to Chelsea represent a return to Champions League football for Ronaldo, it could also benefit Graham Potter, thinks Campbell.

“If you’re the manager at Chelsea, just think about it, you’ve got [Pierre-Emerick] Aubameyang, you’ve never really handled the big players,” he added.

“You’re proving that you can get them playing and the opportunity to get Cristiano Ronaldo in your club, for six months. I just think for Potter, that might be something that would appeal to him.”

Indeed, a potential move seems to make sense for everyone. It would not be a massive surprise if Chelsea do bring Ronaldo in on a short-term deal in January.

They would be getting a fantastic player without paying anything. Furthermore, should he not perform, he’ll soon be heading back, so for the Blues, there is no real downside.

For United, they would be seeing the back of the root of a lot of their problems at present, which cannot be a bad thing.