Juventus reportedly thought Chelsea were one of the more realistic transfer destinations for Cristiano Ronaldo earlier this summer.
The Portugal international has ended up agreeing a return to Manchester United, but it seems this saga could have gone very differently as there were a number of options for him throughout this transfer window.
According to ESPN, Juve at one point thought that Ronaldo’s most likely destinations were Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, and Chelsea – in that order.
Interestingly, however, none of those moves worked out and it later came down to either a shock move to Manchester City, or a return to United, according to the report.
It would have been interesting to see Ronaldo playing for one of United’s rivals, and he could undoubtedly have been a useful addition at Stamford Bridge.
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Chelsea ended up signing Romelu Lukaku to solve their striker issues, however, and he’ll probably end up being a better long-term option.
Ronaldo, 36, is surely coming towards the end of his career at the very highest level, though Man Utd supporters will still be thrilled to see him back, even if it’s only for a short spell.