To win EPL, Chelsea must sign Ronaldo – Merson

Former Arsenal star Paul Merson has weighed in on the report linking Man Utd star Cristiano Ronaldo to Chelsea this summer.

Merson in his statement said for the Blues led by Thomas Tuchel to win the English Premier League this season, then they must sign the Portugal star.

The Blues finished in the third spot last season with 19 points behind EPL champions Manchester City.

Ahead of the start of a new season, they have bolstered their squad by signing a striker Raheem Sterling from Man City and a defender Kalidou Koulibaly from Napoli.

The Blues also permitted Romelu Lukaku to rejoin Inter Milan on a one-year loan, leaving them short in attack.

Merson has advised Tuchel to consider Ronaldo as a replacement for Lukaku.

Writing in his Daily Star column, Merson said: “Chelsea won’t finish higher than third next season unless they sign a world-class striker.

“And there is one player ideally suited to fill the role still on the market – Cristiano Ronaldo.

“Kai Havertz isn’t really a striker for me and doesn’t guarantee you 20 goals a season. And that is something Ronaldo certainly would.

“You keep hearing that Ronaldo was offered to Chelsea weeks ago, so maybe they’ve already decided against it. But I think that’s a mistake. They’re buying players for now. Sterling and Koulibaly are not young. They are players you buy to win now.

“This is not a four-year plan. So why not buy Ronaldo on a short-term contract? He wouldn’t be holding anybody back because they haven’t got a centre forward.”