Christian Pulisic inherits Zlatan's iconic jersey number

After agreeing to a $26 million move from Chelsea, Christian Pulisic is undergoing a medical at AC Milan. The 24-year-old arrived in Milan to sign a long-term contract and finalize his transfer.

Following Brahim Diaz’s return to Real Madrid from a three-year loan with the Rossoneri, the Italian side have signed the USMNT international to permanently fill the void. Pulisic arrived at Milan’s Linate Airport on a Wednesday morning, when he briefly addressed the media.

When asked why he wanted to sign with the Rossoneri, he responded well.

“I’m very happy and excited to be here. AC Milan are a historic and legendary club, I’ll try to win titles here.”

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Christian Pulisic set to take over Zlatan’s kit number

The signing of the deal will occur on Wednesday. At this time the club will announce the player’s selected jersey number. The number 11 (Ibrahimovic’s former number) or 22 (which he wore at Dortmund and briefly at Chelsea) were mooted as possibilities However, recent evidence suggests that AC Milan have begun selling Pulisic No. 11 jerseys.

While the specifics of the transfer are unclear, it’s thought there will be performance-based add-ons to the base fee. Despite receiving an offer to play for French powerhouse Lyon last week, Christian Pulisic wanted to move to Serie A. Only one year of his Chelsea deal remained.

Pulisic joins Milan, two weeks after Ruben Loftus-Cheek made a similar transfer for $18 million. Olivier Giroud and Fikayo Tomori, two of their former Chelsea teammates, are also playing at San Siro. In 2019, he made the move from Borussia Dortmund to Chelsea for a reported $75 million. He only scored 26 goals in 145 games, making it difficult for him to become a regular starter.

Photo credit: IMAGO / LaPresse