U.S. men’s national team fans, grab a paper bag and quit hyperventilating.
It appears that Christian Pulisic’s long rumored move to the Premier League is moving closer to becoming a reality.
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Pulisic, 20, is out of contract at Borussia Dortmund in the summer of 2020, meaning he has just over 18 months left on his current deal with the Bundesliga giants.
In recent months he has lost his starting place at Dortmund to English teenage sensation Jadon Sancho, and whenever Pulisic has been asked about a move to England, he hasn’t shut it down. At all.
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Initially, a report from Cadena Ser in Spain said that Atletico Madrid enquired about Pulisic’s availability but Dortmund told them they have already agreed to sell him to a Premier League club.
And a separate report from the Daily Mail has followed up by saying Chelsea is confident of agreeing an $80-million deal for Pulisic in January, which would see him remain at Dortmund for the rest of the season then join the Blues in the summer. Per the report in the Mail, Pulisic has told Dortmund he wants to join Chelsea. Another report from Spain claims that Pulisic has agreed to join Liverpool, as Jurgen Klopp brought him to Dortmund.
Interesting. Very interesting.
Previous reports claimed that Chelsea, Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United all wanted to sign the USMNT superstar and one report even stated that Chelsea wanted to sign Pulisic in January.
Dortmund’s sporting director Michael Zorc has said Pulisic will not be sold in January, but Pulisic told Pro Soccer Talk recently that he would sit down with Dortmund during the upcoming winter break and discuss his future at the club.
Pulisic joined Dortmund as a 16-year-old and although the Hersey, Pennsylvania is well liked at the Westfalenstadion he is clearly no longer a guaranteed starter. For Dortmund, if they allow Pulisic to run his contract down to just a year left on it this summer they will not be able to request anywhere near the $80 million he is currently valued at.
With the January transfer window opening on Jan. 1, expect Pulisic to be linked with plenty of PL clubs over the next few weeks. Chelsea could be a perfect landing spot for Pulisic as Maurizio Sarri values players who can get on the ball, pick out passes and dictate the tempo of the game.
The likes of Willian and Pedro may be the odd ones out at Stamford Bridge if Pulisic arrives, while the future of Eden Hazard may also be in doubt if Chelsea line up this deal for the U.S. superstar.
Whether or not now is the right time for him to move to the PL remains to be seen, with question marks over his physicality remaining if he does make the jump from the Bundesliga to England’s top-flight.
But it seems like it is becoming a case of when, not if, this happens.