Chelsea urged to 'change their minds' on Man Utd star Ronaldo - 'who's going to stop him?'

Chelsea have been encouraged to 'change their minds' on Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo as they need him if they are to challenge for the title.

Ronaldo returned to Man Utd last summer for a second spell at the club. On a personal level, he has impressed in 2021/22 scoring 18 goals in 30 Premier League appearances.

But the team struggled as a whole. They finished sixth in the Premier League and failed to win a trophy.

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The 37-year-old has made it clear he wants to leave United this summer with him keen to play in the Champions League.

Chelsea have been linked with him, but they have reportedly opted out of bidding for the forward.

The Blues finished 19 points behind Man City last season. They will be without Romelu Lukaku next season as he has returned to Inter Milan on loan.

Paul Merson thinks Ronaldo would be an ideal signing to 'fill the role' at Chelsea:

"Chelsea will not finish higher than third next season unless they sign a world-class striker," Merson wrote for The Daily Star.

"And that's why they should change their minds about Cristiano Ronaldo because he's a perfectly suited player to fill the role still on the market.

"Raheem Sterling, Kalidou Koulibaly and Nathan Ake are all good players and they would all help Chelsea improve straight away. But it's up front that they really need help because Kai Havertz isn't really a striker for me and doesn't guarantee you 20 goals a season. And that's something Ronaldo would definitely do.

"You have Ben Chilwell and Reece James, two of the best ball centerers in the world who can put the ball in the box. Who is the best finisher in the world if you can put the ball in the box with quality? Ronaldo!

"Chelsea should go for him 100%. They play a certain way. That's why Romelu Lukaku struggled - because there's no space to run into. But Ronaldo would thrive. At Manchester United, he had to start from the halfway line to score a goal because they weren't dominating. But that's not his game anymore.

"At Chelsea he wouldn't have needed to beat three players to have sight of goal. Put Ronaldo in that team with James and Chilwell whipping balls and who's going to stop him?"