Chelsea have reportedly submitted a formal offer to Borussia Dortmund to land Christian Pulisic, who is also a target for Manchester United
According to a report by London Evening Standard, Chelsea have stepped up their interest in American prodigy Christian Pulisic, having made their first official offer to land him. The Borussia Dortmund superstar, who has a £70 million price tag on his head, is also being chased by Manchester United.
Pulisic is one of the most exciting young prospects in the world alongside Kylian Mbappe. All of 20, the American prodigy is already into his fourth senior season at Borussia Dortmund and has also featured 23 times for his country. He added another feather to his cap recently when he became the youngest player to captain US Men’s National Team in the modern era last month.
At club level though, his future at Dortmund has been becoming increasingly bleak. With a little over 18 months left on his current deal, the Bundesliga giants are eager to tie Pulisic to a new contract. But, talks have been stalled for a while now, which has piqued the interest of Chelsea and Manchester United.
The uncertain position of Eden Hazard, who is in a similar situation as Pulisic, has already been putting Chelsea on their toes. To add to their concerns, the only other options out wide, Willian and Pedro, are both in their 30s and will not be long-term options at Stamford Bridge.
Pulisic is thus, a viable target, who can either be the perfect foil for Hazard, or have the Blues potentially build their squad around him. But, Chelsea are not alone in pursuit of the 20-year-old, who is also being tailed by Premier League rivals Manchester United.
The Red Devils are in serious need of major restructuring of their squad, which includes adding a wide player to the squad. In particular, Manchester United are in need of a player who can be a long-term solution on the right flank, as they currently have no one who can provide a potent threat out on the right, thus making Pulisic an ideal target to pursue.
But, Manchester United will have to step up their interest in the player if they are to land him, with Chelsea already making their first official approach for him. The Blues have held discussions with Dortmund over possibly selling Pulisic in the January transfer window. However, the West Londoners have a couple of stumbling blocks in front of them.
To begin with, Chelsea are unwilling to match Dortmund’s £70 million valuation of the 20-year-old, with BVB sticking to the eye water asking price despite the player having just 18 months left on his current deal. Secondly, the Bundesliga leaders are unwilling to part ways with Pulisic in the winter.
Another major hurdle is the fact that Pulisic prefers joining Liverpool and reuniting with Jurgen Klopp. The Reds have been linked with the American prodigy previously, although those rumours have taken a back seat lately, leaving Chelsea and Manchester United as the serious suitors chasing after him.
What appears certain is that Pulisic ought to depart from Westfalenstadion, with his contract standoff continuing with Borussia Dortmund, who will only sell for £70 million. It will be interesting to see if Chelsea manage to land him, or if Manchester United swoop him away.
