Chelsea is looking to add strength to its ranks, and will reportedly sign eight players, including football star Cristiano Ronaldo, in January transfer window.

In recent months, the team has been linked with a number of football players. Now that Ronaldo is a free agent, he too has been touted with a move to the team, reported Football.london.

Ronaldo became a free agent after his controversial exit from Manchester United that happened following his explosive interview with Piers Morgan. In the interview, he didn’t have much positive things to say about his time at the Old Trafford. Prior to his departure, Chelsea had been mentioned in the conversation to be Ronaldo’s next home.

Cristiano Ronaldo (C) was left out of Portugal’s starting team against Switzerland. Photo by: AFP/Patricia De Melo Moreira

Since his exit from Manchester United, the team remains one of the names associated with him. Rafael Leao, Alexis Mac Allister, Wilfried Zaha, Sofyan Amrabat, Kylian Mbappe, Jude Bellingham and Douglas Luiz are other players whose names have been linked with Chelsea.

Meanwhile, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Ronaldo was subjected to a “political ban” at the recently concluded FIFA World Cup 2022, reported Al Jazeera. While speaking at a youth event in the eastern Erzurum province, Erdogan said on Sunday, “They have wasted Ronaldo. Unfortunately, they have imposed a political ban on him.” He noted that sending a football player like Ronaldo to the pitch with just 30 minutes remaining to the match, “ruined his psychology and took away his energy.” He added that the 37-year-old football star “stands for the Palestinian cause.”

In the second half of a World Cup quarterfinal game against Morocco in which Portugal lost, Ronaldo got to play only as a substitute. The former Real Madrid footballer had also been on the bench when Portugal clashed with Switzerland in the round of 16. Then also he made an appearance as a substitute. The loss against Morocco meant that Ronaldo was eliminated from what will most likely be his last World Cup. He was unable to hold back his tears while he walked towards the changing rooms.

As for the Israel-Palestine conflict, Ronaldo has never issued any public statements. He has been clicked with a Palestinian scarf around his shoulders, but it represented the Palestinian Football Association.

Cristiano Ronaldo left the field in tears after Portugal were beaten by Morocco in the World Cup quarter-finals. Nelson Almeida/AFP

Man Utd star Bruno Fernandes’ private Cristiano Ronaldo chat with Evra speaks volumes

Patrice Evra spoke with Bruno Fernandes regarding Cristiano Ronaldo.

Manchester United icon Patrice Evra has revealed that he spoke with Bruno Fernandes privately regarding Cristiano Ronaldo after a game earlier in the season, following the Red Devils’ 3-0 victory over Nottingham Forest on Tuesday. Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial and Fred got the goals as Erik ten Hag’s side returned to the Premier League with a win after the World Cup break, while Ronaldo has since left the club.

The five-time Ballon d’Or winner, who continues to be linked with a move with Saudi Arabian side Al Nassr on a free transfer, became a difficult personality at the club since Ten Hag joined this summer. His contract was terminated after the Portugal captain criticised the club, his manager and the Glazer family in an interview with Piers Morgan.

Many pundits and fans felt that Fernandes’ best performances at United have come without Ronaldo on the pitch, and Evra had the same opinion. He explained as much to the United playmaker in a conversation previously, and the midfielder refused to admit that he agreed with the Amazon Prime Video Sport pundit.

“Bruno Fernandes has to be the main man and you can feel it now Ronaldo is not here anymore and you can feel that he is the boss again,” Evra told Amazon after United’s win over Forest. “He is the one taking the free-kicks, the one taking the corner kicks and I am sorry, that is what Bruno Fernandes needs.

Bruno Fernandes gave his private view on Cristiano Ronaldo to Patrice Evra. (Image: Getty)

“I remember when I talked with him after a game and he didn’t want to say that, because he would be like ‘I can’t play with every player’, but you can’t have two chefs like they say in French, and that’s what happened so I am not surprised about the performance of Bruno Fernandes.”

Fernandes impressed during the victory over Steve Cooper’s outfit, was at the heart of several good moves forward and was unfortunate not to come away with an assist from the game. His ball forward created the chance for Rashford to tee up Martial for the second goal, and Antony missed a big chance after the Portuguese star created an opportunity for him to score.

Patrice Evra explained that he got Bruno Fernandes’ private view on Cristiano Ronaldo.

Before the game, Evra explained that fans should expect a “brighter” Fernandes now that Ronaldo is no longer at the club.

“I’ll be honest with you, people were criticising him a lot at the beginning of the season and every time Cristiano Ronaldo wasn’t on the pitch Bruno Fernandes would always have a great performance because he’s the main man, and needs to be the main man,” Evra added.

“When he arrived at Manchester United his debut was just unbelievable, I didn’t expect such an impact in a short time. Now, you will see a brighter Bruno Fernandes again and he will be the man again. I’m really confident about him performing well in the rest of the season.”

Source: latintimes.com; express.co.uk