Chelsea Transfer News: Shock Cristiano Ronaldo Rumours Emerge

Shock rumours have emerged linking Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo with a return to the Premier League, where he would join Chelsea rather than former club Manchester United.

According to Richard Moriarty of The Sun, United's signing of former Arsenal star Alexis Sanchez means the club is unlikely to sign Ronaldo. The latter is said to be fed up with life in Spain due to legal problems involving allegations of tax fraud.

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The Portugal international has been linked with United for years, and Manu Sainz of AS previously reported he still has ambitions of rejoining the Red Devils at some point in his career.

The man himself maintains he's perfectly happy in the Spanish capital, per Yahoo Sport UK:

A move to Chelsea would come as a major shock, for a variety of reasons. According to Moriarty, the 32-year-old would be tempted by the thought of living in a ''cosmopolitan city'' with his four children, and other Premier League clubs capable of fulfilling his wage demands would be impossible due to their strong rivalries with the Red Devils.

Chelsea have moved away from giving massive contracts to veteran players in recent years, however, and have a club policy of signing players over the age of 30 to short-term contracts. Ronaldo will turn 33 in February and would not fit Chelsea's typical mold of a transfer target.

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Consistency has been an issue for the Blues the last few years―title-winning seasons have often been followed by disappointing campaigns―and the current squad appears to have fallen behind Manchester City and United in terms of talent. From a pure football perspective, west London would not be a particularly appealing destination for a player of Ronaldo's caliber.

Real are unlikely to part with their star man given his huge importance to the team, as illustrated by OptaJose:

While he hasn't been at his best so far in the 2017-18 campaign, Ronaldo is still Real's top scorer in La Liga despite missing the start of the season with a suspension. He's been sensational in the UEFA Champions League so far, bagging nine goals in the group stages.

He's under contract until 2021 and has yet to give an indication he will force Los Blancos into a sale, so it's hard to see how Chelsea―who have been more frugal in the transfer market than United, City or Paris Saint-Germain in recent years―would land the Ballon d'Or holder.

The star forward seems far more likely to finish his career with Real, and if he does end up leaving, Old Trafford would be the logical destination. Even PSG―who have shown a willingness to spend big by bringing in Neymar and signing him to a huge contract―would seem a more likely candidate than Chelsea, who have struggled for much of the ongoing season.