USMNT star Christian Pulisic reportedly agrees to join AC Milan
United States men's national team star forward Christian Pulisic is closer to making his long-rumored move from Chelsea to AC Milan.
Pulisic, who captained the USMNT squad that took home its second straight CONCACAF Nations League title earlier in June, has agreed to join the Serie A giants from the Premier League club with whom he spent the past four seasons, according to ESPN. A fee for the player has yet to be determined, per the report.
After raising his profile at Bundesliga powerhouse Bourissa Dortmund, Pulisic burst on the scene at Chelsea with a hat-trick in one of his first Chelsea matches in Oct. 2019, then helped the London club win the 2020-21 Champions League with an upset victory over Manchester City in the final.
However, Pulisic struggled over the next two seasons and dealt with myriad injuries and benchings as Chelsea dealt with overall turmoil, especially over the course of the 2022-23 season which saw the club sink to 12th in the Premier League table despite record spending under new owner Todd Boehly. Pulisic was connected to AC Milan as far back as the January 2023 transfer window and again in recent weeks.
Overall 145 total appearences in his four seasons at Chelsea, Pulisic had 26 goals and 21 assists in four seasons at Chelsea. He recorded three straight seasons with at least 10 goal contributions (goals and assists), but had just one goal and two assists in 30 appearances across all club competitions in 2022-23.
On the international level, the 24-year-old Pulisic scored the deciding goal in the USMNT's group stage win over Iran in the 2022 FIFA Men's World Cup that propelled the team to the knockout rounds. He then scored a brace in the United States' June 15 3-0 win over Mexico in the Nations League Semifinal and played the entirety of the USMNT's 2-0 win over Canada in the final two days later. Pulisic was named player of the tournament for his efforts.
At Milan, Pulisic could reunite with former teammate Olivier Giroud, with whom he displayed good on-field chemistry when the two were at Chelsea. The famed French striker might not be the only familiar face Pulisic sees at Milan. Reports have also linked the Serie A club with Pulisic's USMNT teammates Folarin Balogun and Yunus Musah in recent weeks as Milan attempts to build upon its run to the 2022-23 Champions League semifinal after qualifying for the competition again.
