Chelsea and Manchester United learn asking price of Cristiano Ronaldo's 17-year-old teammate: Reports
Chelsea and Manchester United have reportedly been dealt a blow in their pursuit of Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal teammate Geovany Quenda owing to the forward's high release clause.
Quenda, who turned 17 earlier this April, has emerged as one of the hottest talents in the Primeira Liga since the start of the ongoing 2024-25 season. He has started all seven of his total appearances for Sporting CP, recording one goal and as many assist in the process.
On the back of his fine performances at club level, Quenda earned an international call-up earlier this month. The left-footed winger made the bench in Portugal's 2-1 UEFA Nations League triumph over Scotland.
Now, according to HITC, Sporting have handed their talented academy graduate a release clause of £84 million to ward off interest from other clubs. Their winger has drawn interest from Chelsea, Manchester United, Manchester City, and Tottenham Hotspur in the recent past.
The Blues have spent considerable fees on highly-rated prospects since Clearlake Capital's takeover in 2022. Manchester United, on the other hand, are also on the lookout for the next generation of superstars, having signed 18-year-old Leny Yoro earlier this summer.
Chelsea star opens up on admiration for ex-Manchester United man Cristiano Ronaldo
Chelsea star Nicolas Jackson has stated that he grew up admiring ex-Manchester United and Real Madrid superstar Cristiano Ronaldo. The Senegalese striker said (h/t Tribal Football):
"When I was growing up, I loved Cristiano Ronaldo. I had his name on a shirt that I always wore. Not an actual shirt because they are expensive, so you don't buy them. But I had a shirt that I put '7, Ronaldo' on with a pen. I did it myself when I was a kid."
Revealing how he used to follow the Portuguese, Jackson concluded:
"Of course, I would pretend to be him, but it was difficult to watch his games because you needed to pay. We would go to my friend's house, everybody. We would watch in a large group, never just with one person in the house. All my friends, we'd all go to one house to watch Real Madrid."
Since arriving from Villarreal for £32 million last summer, Jackson has recorded 19 goals and seven assists in 49 overall games for Chelsea.
The right-footed striker will next be in action for his club in their Premier League away game at West Ham United on Saturday (September 21).