Chelsea have reportedly ruled themselves out of the running to sign Manchester United forward Cristiano Ronaldo.
Since installing himself as the interim sporting director at Chelsea, owner Todd Boehly has taken a proactive approach to trying to add to Thomas Tuchel's squad.
That led to a meeting with super-agent Jorge Mendes, which subsequently resulted in speculation regarding the future of Ronaldo.
The Portuguese superstar is allegedly keen to depart United this summer as the 37-year-old is keen to play in the Champions League next season.
Chelsea are known to have deliberated over whether to make a formal approach for Ronaldo, even in the knowledge that United would be strongly against selling their star player to a domestic rival.
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However, according to the Daily Mail, the West Londoners are now officially out of the race to sign the five-time Ballon d'Or winner.
The decision is said to have been made by head coach Thomas Tuchel, who has already added Manchester City winger Raheem Sterling to his first-team squad.
The report adds that Tuchel is wary of signing a player who will take attention away from the team, the German instead wanting a united effort from his squad.
Speaking to Sky Sports News, Tuchel has also hinted that he has switched his attention from trying to find a replacement for Romelu Lukaku for the time being.
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Tuchel said: "I would not rule it out but right now it is not the priority. The priority right now is defence, it's not a secret. From there we need to see what's possible."
The development has left Ronaldo with less realistic alternatives, the report claiming that Paris Saint-Germain also have little interest in signing for former Real Madrid star.
While a team in Saudi Arabia is allegedly prepared to break the bank to sign Ronaldo, such a move is unlikely in a World Cup year.
United head coach Erik ten Hag stated earlier this week that he expects Ronaldo to feature in his squad for the upcoming Premier League campaign.
Last season, the veteran contributed 24 goals from his 38 appearances in all competitions.
Darren Plant
