Chelsea could reignite Cristiano Ronaldo pursuit due to Armando Broja injury, Joao Felix loan bid rumoured – Paper Round

Chelsea forced to target striker in January

Chelsea striker Armando Broja is expected to miss the remainder of the season after suffering a ruptured cruciate ligament in his right knee. The 21-year-old will undergo surgery on the injury which happened during a 1-0 friendly defeat against Aston Villa in Abu Dhabi on Sunday. Broja’s injury is likely to force Chelsea into the January transfer market to sign a replacement striker. The Standard have mentioned Joao Felix joining from Atletico Madrid on loan with an option-to-buy clause or targeting Cristiano Ronaldo – who is currently a free agent after leaving Manchester United by mutual consent.

Paper Round’s view: It’s devastating for Broja. He would have been eyeing up the vacant striker position at Chelsea as his opportunity to cement his place at the west London club. The Blues have struggled with centre-forwards this season – with Kai Havertz and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang both disappointing for Graham Potter’s side. It would be interesting to see if a deal for Ronaldo is explored. Chelsea were linked with the Portuguese superstar in the summer, but he ended up staying at Old Trafford. Realistically, Chelsea need to target a new striker in the summer, but Ronaldo could be a stop-gap.

Sancho struggling to return to former self

Manchester United winger Jadon Sancho is still working on an individual training programme and club boss Erik ten Hag does not know when he will return to the first-team squad. The 22-year-old has struggled to live up to expectations since arriving at Old Trafford from Borussia Dortmund and has not featured for the Red Devils since October 14. The youngster played did not join his team-mates in Spain for their mid-season break during the World Cup. The Sun reveals that Sancho is currently working with sport psychologists and fitness trainers in the Netherlands in an attempt to rediscover his form and confidence.

Paper Round’s view: It must be a tough situation for Sancho. He joined Manchester United with so much hype surrounding him from his impressive time in Germany. Sancho was a key player for Dortmund and even donned the captain’s armband at times, despite his young age. The former-Manchester City youngster has not really performed at Old Trafford. But it could be linked with the fact that he missed a vital penalty for England in the Euro 2020 final shoot-out just before joining United. His confidence would’ve already been low, and it just hasn’t changed since. Hopefully he is getting the proper help he needs to bounce back.

Man Utd want the ‘next Pogba’

Manchester United are chasing Benfica teenager Cher Ndour, according to the Mirror. The 18-year-old will become a free agent at the end of the season, but United face fierce competition from European rivals, Juventus. The Serie A side are hoping to sign Ndour because they view him as the heir to central-midfield star Paul Pogba. However, Manchester United believe they may have a slight advantage as Ndour shares the same agent as Bruno Fernandes, so they are hoping the Portugal international can help sway the deal their way.

Paper Round’s view: Ndour must be a top-quality prospect if he is currently impressing at Benfica and is wanted by Juventus and Manchester United. He is only 18 years old, but you’d expect finances to play a part in this deal. If United offer Ndour a generous package, they could hold the advantage in negotiations. Ndour is Italian so he may favour heading back to his homeland and joining one of the biggest clubs in his country. United will look to edge off their transfer rivals by using everything they can to secure Ndour’s signature.

Why Real Madrid pushed for Endrick

Spanish media outlet MARCA reveal the reasons why Real Madrid are so desperate to secure the signature of Brazilian wonderkid Endrick from Palmeiras. The 16-year-old is reportedly edging closer to agreeing to join Los Blancos in the summer of 2024 when he turns 18. Real Madrid are said to be keen to complete a deal for around €60 million before the Palmeiras prodigy plays more senior matches and his price tag increased. The Spanish champions are also unconvinced by their chances of signing Erling Haaland from Manchester City within the next two seasons so are pushing for Endrick as Karim Benzema’s long-term replacement.

Paper Round’s view: You can understand why Real Madrid were so keen to push for an agreement with Endrick. It might seem like a risk at this stage of his career because he is only 16 years old… and because he won’t be moving to the Spanish capital for another 18 months. However – if he is as good as everyone predicts he is going to be – it’s going to be a bargain for Real Madrid. Los Blancos won’t want to miss out on the next big thing coming out of Brazil and they’ve made sure of that ever since they lost the battle to sign Neymar. A future attacking trio of Vinicius Jr, Rodrygo and Endrick will be truly brilliant.