THOMAS TUCHEL was reportedly told NOT to sign Cristiano Ronaldo by former Manchester United manager Ralf Rangnick.
Ronaldo was linked with a shock switch to Chelsea earlier this summer after telling the Red Devils that he wanted to leave.
But while SunSport exclusively revealed that new Blues owner Todd Boehly was eager to bring CR7 to Stamford Bridge, Tuchel himself was not so keen on the idea.
He was advised by good friend Rangnick not to pursue a deal for the Portuguese ace, according to the Sunday Times.
Rangnick knows Ronaldo well, having managed the forward during his six-month spell as interim boss at Old Trafford.
And despite the wantaway star being United’s top scorer last season, netting 24 goals in all competitions, the now Austria boss told Tuchel not to sign him.
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Earlier this summer The Athletic claimed United had discussed the potential of selling Ronaldo in January – a month after Rangnick’s arrival.
The German repeatedly told club chiefs in the winter that Ronaldo should be sold and replaced.
Rangnick also said Ronaldo was not suited to the pressing style he attempted to implement during his miserable tenure in charge.
Speaking after guiding the Red Devils to their lowest ever Premier League points tally, Rangnick said: “Cristiano Ronaldo, and I’m not blaming him at all, he did great in those games.
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“But he’s not a pressing monster. He’s not a player, even when he was a young player, who was crying, shouting ‘hooray, the other team has got the ball, where can we win balls?’
“The same with quite a few other players so we had to make some compromises at one stage, maybe we made a few too many – that’s also possible.”
And it has now reportedly come to light that Rangnick told his old pal Tuchel that bringing Ronaldo to Chelsea was a bad idea.
That’s despite reports earlier this month frim Sky claiming the Blues were still potentially interested in a move for the five-time Ballon d’Or winner.
As well as Chelsea, the superstar forward has been linked with the likes of Bayern Munich and Napoli, as well as an emotional return to Sporting Lisbon, having told United he wanted out.
But with just five days left of the transfer window, time is running out for Ronaldo to secure a move away.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
