Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly set their sights on highly-rated Borussia Dortmund forward Christian Pulisic.
The Daily Mail have reported that Tottenham Hotspur chief scout Steve Hitchen was in attendance during Borussia Dortmund’s midweek Champions League clash against AS Monaco. Hitchen was in the crowd to run the rule over highly-rated teenage United States international, Christian Pulisic.
Pulisic is one of the several in the core group of young players – all of whom are 21 or under – that Dortmund have been assembling in the recent seasons, and the 18-year-old forward has certainly been one of the most impressive of this bunch.
Having made his senior debut in the second half of last season, Pulisic has now managed to become a well-established member of the first-team setup under Tuchel in 2016/17. He has played in all of Dortmund’s Champions League games this season, making 35 appearances across all competitions.
.@MailSport report Tottenham sent head scout Steve Hitchen to watch Dortmund’s Christian Pulisic against Monaco. #THFC pic.twitter.com/p6uQnbm3V5
— Daily Hotspur (@Daily_Hotspur) April 13, 2017
In those games, Pulisic has recorded a return of 5 goals and 9 assists – a creditable tally for a player who is still in his teens. Needless to say, he is one of the most promising players in Europe currently, possessing exciting potential.
That’s why, it’s not surprising that some of the biggest clubs across Europe have started circling around the teenager, with Liverpool the most heavily linked of these. In fact, the Merseyside club even tried signing Pulisic last summer before a €12 million bid was rejected by Dortmund.
Liverpool are still believed to be interested in signing Pulisic, with Jurgen Klopp eager to bolster his squad and add quality long-term options in attack. However, if they try to make another move for the forward in the summer they could have competition in the form of Tottenham.
The North London club sent chief scout Steve Hitchen to monitor Pulisic in a match in which he came on as a second half substitute and produced another impressive performance from right wing-back, despite Dortmund succumbing to a 3-2 loss to Monaco.
Indeed, Tottenham are believed to be scouting several forwards with a view to reinforce attack in the summer. Mauricio Pochettino currently has the likes of Christian Eriksen, Dele Alli, Heung-Min Son, Erik Lamela and Moussa Sissoko as his options for players providing the supporting act to Harry Kane.
But while Alli, Eriksen and Son have been highly influential this season for Tottenham, Sissoko and Lamela have failed to make much of an impression, leaving Pochettino in search of a top quality forward to improve his attack next season.
And Pulisic is the sort of a player who fits the mould of footballers who Pochettino thrives with. In Alli, Eric Dier, Kane and lately, Harry Winks, the Tottenham manager has displayed a penchant for working wonders with promising young players, and Pulisic could be just be his latest success story.
Having said that though, Pulisic only recently penned a new deal with Dortmund that ties him up at the Westfalenstadion till 2020. The teenager has also insisted that he does not intend to move away from Dortmund any time soon, which means securing his services could prove to be a tall order for Tottenham and any other suitor.
It remains to be seen if Tottenham, Liverpool or any other club are able to persuade Pulisic to leave Dortmund in the summer, as the youngster continues to bloom impressively under Tuchel.
