Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel decided against signing Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo after conversation with Ralf Rangnick - Reports

Manchester United superstar Cristiano Ronaldo might have gone to Chelsea if not for Ralf Rangnick's conversation with Thomas Tuchel.

This is according to The Times (via the Daily Mail), who revealed that the Blues were convinced about Ronaldo leading their attack until Rangnick spoke with Tuchel.

Chelsea had notably become one of the European heavyweights interested in the sharpshooter's signature, but reports following the situation eventually dissolved.

Blues owner Todd Boehly was excited about signing the 37-year-old, who has become a massive global brand across world sports. However, Tuchel was against the transfer, under the advisement of his fellow German tactician.

Back in May, Rangnick openly criticized Cristiano Ronaldo's inability to press off the ball, stating:

"Cristiano Ronaldo, and I'm not blaming him at all, he did great in those games. But he's not a pressing monster. He's not a player, even when he was a young player, who was crying, shouting 'hooray, the other team has got the ball, where can we win balls?' '

He had further added:

"The same with quite a few other players so we had to make some compromises at one stage, maybe we made a few too many - that's also possible."

With the 37-year-old unable to press efficiently for Manchester United, the German tactician may have mentioned these issues to Tuchel. While it is unclear what the two managers discussed, it appears enough for the Blues manager to veto a move for the Portuguese superstar.

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Cristiano Ronaldo has failed to cement a starting slot at Manchester United under Erik ten Hag

With Rangnick now out of the Old Trafford hierarchy, former Ajax manager Erik ten Hag has taken charge of affairs in the dugout. However, this has done little to benefit Cristiano Ronaldo, who has only started one league game this season.

The Portuguese maestro has been searching for a way out of Old Trafford, but the destination has not been confirmed currently. With clubs like Bayern Munich openly stating their disinterest in the aging forward, Ronaldo has found himself with out of options.

However, if he does remain at Manchester United, it may have to be as a bench warmer, with the striker failing to cement a starting role in Ten Hag's lineup. Ronaldo has mostly been used as a substitute under Ten Hag.