Chelsea are reportedly prepared to make a move for Manchester United attacker Cristiano Ronaldo if the Portugal international leaves the club next year.
The 37-year-old is thought to be facing the prospect of the sack from Old Trafford after launching a brutal attack on the club during an interview with Piers Morgan.
Ronaldo admitted that he held no respect for manager Erik ten Hag and believes that the club have made zero progress since he initially left to join Real Madrid in 2009.
The five-time Ballon d'Or winner also took a swipe at Ralf Rangnick, Gary Neville, Wayne Rooney and the Glazer family in an interview which is expected to spell the end of his Man United career.
Having taken legal advice on the matter, Man United have now announced that they have issued "appropriate steps" in response to Ronaldo's stunning interview, and the club are thought to be looking at ways to sack him.
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Should Ronaldo depart next year as expected, The Mirror claims that Chelsea could perform a U-turn on their transfer stance and would welcome Ronaldo to Stamford Bridge.
Blues co-owner Todd Boehly was understood to have been spearheading a move for the former Real Madrid and Juventus man over the summer, when he allegedly made his desire to leave Man United clear.
However, then-manager Thomas Tuchel vetoed a move for Ronaldo, and as a result the Portuguese veteran remained in Manchester only to play a peripheral role under Ten Hag.
The report adds that Man United were initially willing to let Ronaldo leave in January prior to publication of the Morgan interview, as long as he did not join a direct Premier League rival.
Sacking Ronaldo or terminating his contract would allow Ronaldo to do as he pleases regarding a new club, although it remains to be seen if new Chelsea manager Graham Potter would green light the 37-year-old's transfer.
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Sporting Lisbon have also been linked with a move for their former protege, but their elimination from the Champions League could scupper a mid-season deal.
Should Man United be unsuccessful in their attempts to get Ronaldo off the books in January, the attacker will depart as a free agent when his contract runs out at the end of the season anyway.
However, it is believed that Ten Hag does not want Ronaldo to play for the club again following his scathing criticisms, and he could therefore depart having totalled 145 goals and 64 assists in 346 games during two separate spells at the Theatre of Dreams.
The Portugal international has a paltry three goals and two assists to show from 16 games in all tournaments this term, but he had started to earn regular starts for the Red Devils before coming down with illness before the World Cup break.
Ronaldo missed Portugal's recent 4-0 friendly win over Nigeria due to his stomach bug, but he is now back in training as Fernando Santos's side prepare to meet Ghana in their World Cup 2022 Group H opener on Thursday.
