Christian Pulisic is swapping out Stamford Bridge for the San Siro.
The U.S. men’s national team star has clinched an escape from the quagmire that is Chelsea, with AC Milan paying a reported fee of €20 million plus €2m in add-ons to bring the 24-year-old to Serie A.
Pulisic has signed a four-year contract that will keep him in Milan’s red half through the end of the 2026-27 season, with an option to extend his stay for one more season.
He will wear the No. 11 shirt at San Siro.
Pulisic had been linked to a move away for some time, with the Rossoneri becoming the favorites in recent weeks. Pulisic will join multiple former Chelsea players at the San Siro, with Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Fikayo Tomori and Olivier Giroud on manager Stefano Pioli’s roster for the coming season.
🇺🇸 @pulisic ✍
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— AC Milan (@acmilan) July 13, 2023
Pulisic’s Chelsea exit badly needed
Pulisic joined Chelsea in 2019 in a €64 million move from Borussia Dortmund. The USMNT star thrived in his first Premier League season, scoring nine times and adding six assists despite missing several weeks with an injury.
He wasn’t as statistically successful in the seasons that followed, but despite a coaching change from Frank Lampard to Thomas Tuchel, he scored 14 times in 81 appearances over the next two seasons. However, 2022-23 was unhappy for all parties: Pulisic started just eight times in the Premier League, Chelsea cycled through four head coaches, and new owner Todd Boehly watched his expensively-assembled, over-stuffed squad finish in an embarrassing 12th place.
With locker room space at a premium at Stamford Bridge and, from Pulisic’s perspective, a need to get back on the field, a transfer to Serie A makes sense. It’s also a huge boost for USMNT fans worried that arguably the team’s best player would spend another season languishing at a club whose priorities aren’t clear.
While Chelsea sorts themselves out, Pulisic will be suiting up for a club that qualified for the 2023-24 Champions League, and that appears to need him. Milan certainly has some players who will compete with Pulisic for time — including Alexis Saelemaekers, Ante Rebić, and Junior Messias — but their move for the USMNT winger signals that he is the presumptive favorite to start opposite Rafael Leão, and alongside another ex-Chelsea man in Olivier Giroud.
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