Chelsea favorites to sign Cristiano Ronaldo amid explosive interview trashing Manchester United
English Premier League side, Chelsea have emerged as the favored side to coax Portuguese forward, Cristiano Ronaldo from an almost certain exit from league rivals, Manchester United in the January transfer window, after an explosive interview with Piers Morgan outlined the veteran’s problem with the club, manager, Erik ten Hag, and executives.
Ronaldo, who has since left the Old Trafford side to link up with his Portugal national side teammates ahead of next week’s FIFA World Cup return, featured in a sitdown with the aforenoted News of the World alum, Morgan, in a scatching interview, trashing United, current boss, ten Hag, as well as the seemingly dated infrastructure at the club.
The recent explosive interview falls on the back of a series of disappointing performances for the side this season under ten Hag, with Ronaldo infamously demoted from senior team training after he refused to make a substitute appearance in a win over Tottenham Hotspur back in October.
Handed the captaincy for a visit to Villa Park in the absence of Portuguese teammate, Bruno Fernandes, Ronaldo’s most recent, and likely last outing for the Red Devils came in that 3-1 defeat, with the 37-year-old left out of the matchday squad for wins over Aston Villa and then a visit to Fulham.
Following the emergence of Ronaldo’s incendiary interview with Morgan, odds have been slashed on his exit from Old Trafford in either the form of a contract termination, or a January move.
In what appears to be the bet of the day football, Chelsea are backed to pursue a move to the serial UEFA Champions League victor, Ronaldo in the January transfer window, with the Graham Potter side available as short as 4/1 to land the Portuguese native. You can bet on Ronaldo’s future over at Vulkanbet Sports betting.
A return to boyhood club, Sporting Lisbon is also a potential next destination for Ronaldo, with the capital side available even shorter at 3/1 to resign the former before February 3.
Linked with a potential move to the aforenoted Chelsea, as well as Napoli and Atletico Madrid in the summer transfer window to boot, the Italian side are currently priced as high as 12/1 to sign Ronaldo, while Diego Simeone’s side, who have fallen into the UEFA Europa League, are available at 25/1.
Bookmakers also see a potential return to Real Madrid as arguably the longest shot for Ronaldo, with a Santiago Bernabeu comeback priced as high as 50/1 on most markets.
Away from club football, Ronaldo is set to lead EURO 2016 winners, Portugal into the FIFA World Cup in Qatar next week, featuring in a group alongside Ghana, Uruguay, and South Korea.
With Brazil current betting favorites to land the Coupe du Monde come December, Portugal, who featured three Manchester United players in the form of Diogo Dalot, Bruno Fernandes, and of course, Ronaldo, are sitting as severe outsiders to land their first FIFA World Cup – at 14/1.