America’s golden boy is headed for a new team.
Christian Pulisic will officially be transferring from English soccer club Chelsea FC to Italian club AC Milan, according to leading soccer reporter Fabrizio Romano. Chelsea has agreed to accept a formal bid of €20 million + add-ons for Pulisic, who agreed to personal terms with AC Milan weeks ago. Fellow Italian club Lyon had also recently bid for Pulisic, but the star winger reportedly only wanted AC Milan.
The sale of Pulisic continues a massive summer squad clear-out for Chelsea, who spent over €600 million during the winter transfer window. They have sold off a horde of veterans (including Mateo Kovacic, Mason Mount, Kai Havertz, Edouard Mendy, and many others) to make room for their new acquisitions and to comply with Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations.
As for AC Milan, the Pulisic addition should help them build off a strong 2022-23 season in which they finished in the top four of their league (Serie A) and made it all the way to the semifinal of the UEFA Champions League. They also had some extra money to spend after selling off star midfielder Sandro Tonali to Newcastle United just days ago for a club-record fee.
Pulisic began his club career with German side Borussia Dortmund in 2016 before joining Chelsea on a €58 million transfer fee in 2019. He scored 20 goals in his Chelsea career and won some major trophies (including the Champions League in 2021 when Pulisic became the first American to play in a Champions League final). But Pulisic had only gotten sporadic playing time over the last couple of seasons, especially last season after Chelsea brought in expensive wingers Raheem Sterling and Mykhailo Mudryk.
Milan does already have the top-class Rafael Leao at Pulisic’s usual spot on the left wing. But Pulisic will likely shift into an attacking midfielder role, playing behind AC Milan striker (and Pulisic’s former Chelsea teammate) Olivier Giroud. Pulisic will also be able to work with another ex-Chelsea teammate Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who joined AC Milan earlier this summer.
In the meantime however, soccer fans can keep enjoying Pulisic’s continued excellence for the USMNT. After providing some enormous moments for America in last year’s World Cup, Pulisic has been leading the national team once again this summer in their various CONCACAF competitions (though he was left off the Gold Cup roster for rest purposes).
