Chelsea rule out signing Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United

Superstar Cristiano Ronaldo didn't join Manchester United for their preseason tour of Asia and Australia amid rumors that he wishes to leave Old Trafford this summer to join a club that qualified for the upcoming UEFA Champions League competition. 

Ronaldo was linked with fellow Premier League club Chelsea, but it was said ahead of last weekend that Blues boss Thomas Tuchel "has little interest in pursuing a deal" at this time. There's now further confirmation that Ronaldo will have to look elsewhere if he's serious about securing a move during the open transfer window. 

On Thursday, Simon Johnson of The Athletic reported that Chelsea ruled out signing Ronaldo from United. The decision came after Ronaldo's agent Jorge Mendes met with new Chelsea co-owner and chairman Todd Boehly. Chelsea recently acquired Raheem Sterling from Manchester City for what ESPN reported to be a £47.5 million fee rising to £50 million with add-ons.

ESPN's James Olley also stated that Chelsea took themselves out of the running for CR7.

A story emerged on Tuesday noting that Paris Saint-Germain rejected the chance to sign Ronaldo after Mendes offered the player's services to the French giants. Bayern Munich CEO Oliver Kahn previously said the German club also won't pursue the iconic footballer. 

At the start of the week, new United manager Erik ten Hag insisted Ronaldo's absence from the club was related to a legitimate "family issue" and also that "Cristiano is not for sale." While Ronaldo turned 37 in February, he scored 24 goals across all competitions for United last season.