Chelsea are set for a significant squad overhaul this summer. Several key exits already happened. For instance, N’Golo Kante, Kai Havertz, Edouard Mendy, Mateo Kovacic and Kalidou Koulibaly all exited the club.
With one year remaining on his Chelsea contract, Christian Pulisic has links to a move away from Stamford Bridge, too. Pulisic is eager to make the transfer to AC Milan, a club that has long admired him and has made a new bid for him.
The U.S. Men’s National Team captain has been the subject of a $15 million opening bid from the Italian giants. The English side has a greater valuation in mind. In their pursuit of acquiring Pulisic, the Rossoneri have been working confidently and have achieved an agreement with the player on contractual conditions, but they have yet to reach an agreement with his club.
Lyon forced to step out of race
This week, Lyon also made a proposal for Pulisic at $27 million. That is far closer to Chelsea’s valuation of around $32 million. The French team’s efforts to acquire the player faced a major setback, though.
French football’s financial authority, the DNCG, declared it would be punishing the Ligue 1 club for obvious inconsistencies in the budget it has proposed for the next season. This body has the authority to halt any upcoming moves, including Pulisic’s likely addition, and to put a hold on Lyon’s salary.
Milan bid on Pulisic is latest in clubs’ relationship
It now leaves AC Milan as the only frontrunner in the race for Pulisic. Consequently, it made a new offer of around $23 million, as per The Athletic. In recent years, the two clubs continued to develop a positive relationship. Olivier Giroud, Fikayo Tomori and Tiemoue Bakayoko made the move from London to Milan. Most recently, Ruben Loftus-Cheek switched to the Italian outfit.
With the signing of Loftus-Cheek, the San Siro squad occupied one of its two non-EU registration slots for this season. It is worth noting that Pulisic holds a Croatian passport. Therefore, he would not feature in the second slot.
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