Chelsea Ready to Fork Out Insane Money to Get Cristiano Ronaldo – Report

Cristiano Ronaldo may return to the Premier League for a sensational fee, Italian website CalcioMercato reported, citing anonymous sources. According to the website, Chelsea is ready to fork out $135 million for the five-time winner of the Ballon d’Or, which is $25 million more than Juventus paid to Real Madrid in 2018. CalcioMercato notes that the good relationship between Ronaldo’s trusted agent Jorge Mendes and the Blues’ owner, billionaire Roman Abramovich, could play an important role in the deal.

Ronaldo’s contract expires in 2022 and the athlete himself has said he wants to stay in Turin and help the club win "many trophies". This year, however, he has been linked with several moves, including to Real Madrid, where he spent nine years and won a plethora of trophies, PSG, which will reportedly part with another football star, Neymar, and Manchester United, where he won the Premier League title three times.

Sports pundits say it won’t be a big issue for Abramovich and Chelsea to shell out $135 million for Ronaldo, but at the same time note that the club’s manager and former player Frank Lampard is building a project for the future. While the Portuguese sportsman is still one of the best - if not the best - football players, he is 35, a venerable age for a forward, and no one knows how long he will maintain this impressive performance.

The report is also likely to be fuelled by Juventus' recent loss to Milan in the Coppa final, during which Ronaldo failed to score on a penalty. It remains unclear whether the Old Lady is willing to part ways with the Portuguese star. In April, Italian newspaper Corriere dello Sport said the club may be forced to sell the athlete due to financial problems caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Recent reports say that Juventus is not willing to part ways with Ronaldo, at least this year.