Chelsea will reportedly look to bring in Real Madrid superstar Cristiano Ronaldo to replace Eden Hazard in the event that he ends up leaving.
The Sun seems to have served an absolute sensation of a rumour, stating that Chelsea will look to replace Eden Hazard with Real Madrid superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, should the Belgian end up leaving. The Blues attacker has been linked to the likes of Real Madrid and Manchester City.
Cristiano Ronaldo has been far from happy at Real Madrid recently, despite equalling Lionel Messi’s tally of five Ballon D’ors. The present season has been nothing short of a disaster, with the Portuguese himself managing just 8 goals and 3 assists in 16 league games – a huge contrast to his Champions League form, wherein he has 9 goals in 6 games so far.
And despite his recent admission of the fact that he wishes to remain a Real Madrid player, rumours of a move back to the Premier League have been doing the rounds, with Manchester United touted to be his destination. But, the report claims that his homecoming at Old Trafford might not happen, especially after Manchester United landed Alexis Sanchez, which will now see the Red Devils focus on other targets.
Cristiano Ronaldo: “Of course I want to stay at Real Madrid, I like living here. I’ve lived in this city since 2009. It’s close to Portugal and you can get there by car – it’s a great country. My plan to play until 41 might be a bit more difficult to achieve though”. pic.twitter.com/isVFGbNJ8s
— Squawka News (@SquawkaNews) January 28, 2018
This is where Chelsea could lure the Real Madrid forward to Stamford Bridge. Real Madrid do look primed to land Eden Hazard, who could be pictured as a long-term and direct replacement for Cristiano Ronaldo, who is already 32 and isn’t getting any younger.
In such a scenario, Chelsea could use the influx of cash from Hazard’s sale to bankroll a move for Ronaldo, who could look to return to the Premier League. And while a move back to Manchester United would be the dream, Chelsea would pose a new challenge to the Real Madrid man.
At Chelsea, Alvaro Morata has been burdened by the duty of finding goals for his team. And while Hazard has been contributing on a regular basis, he is not as natural a goalscorer as Ronaldo. With Antonio Conte’s future under question, the new manager could see Ronaldo and Morata as the new pairing, with the players already having played together at Real Madrid.
Also, if Ronaldo does wish to return to the Premier League, he is unlikely to move to Manchester City out of respect and love for Manchester United, something he has iterated a few times during his Real Madrid career.
Liverpool, Arsenal and Tottenham are unlikely to have the purchasing power to match Chelsea, who could in that case, land a sensational deal for the Real Madrid enigma.
But, the entire transfer depends on Eden Hazard’s departure. Chelsea have had troubles replacing the likes of Matic and Diego Costa. But, it looks like they are laying down the succession plan for Hazard well and truly ahead, just in case the Belgian does leave in the summer.
