In the summer heat of London in 2022, Chelsea briefly considered bringing Cristiano Ronaldo back to English football, with Todd Boehly exploring a move that would have taken the Portuguese forward across the city from Manchester United to Stamford Bridge.
Boehly, newly installed at the heart of Chelsea’s sporting decisions during his first transfer window at the club, met Ronaldo’s representative Jorge Mendes to discuss the possibility. Ronaldo was then enduring an unsettled second spell at Manchester United, where the 2021-23 reunion ultimately failed to deliver the expected revival.
Manchester United had finished sixth in the Premier League, and Boehly saw a chance to add one of the game’s biggest names to Chelsea’s forward line. The prospective transfer, however, never advanced into a deal because Thomas Tuchel was firmly against it.
The German coach, who had led Chelsea to the Champions League title only a year earlier, repeatedly made clear that he did not want Ronaldo in his squad. Tuchel’s objection halted the proposed move despite Boehly’s interest and Mendes’ discussions with the club.
Ronaldo remained at Manchester United for the opening part of the following campaign before leaving Old Trafford, later continuing his career with Al-Nassr. Now 41, the Portuguese forward’s possible Chelsea switch stands as one of the more striking transfer avenues that never opened during that turbulent period in west London and Manchester.
