Lyon in Hot Pursuit of Chelsea’s Pulisic

The Battle for Pulisic Intensifies

Chelsea’s USMNT star, Christian Pulisic, finds himself amid a tug-of-war as European clubs vie for his services. With a second bid from Lyon on the table, AC Milan’s initial offer faces fierce competition report The Athletic.

Lyon Steps Up

Lyon, with a compelling €25 million (£21.5m, $27.3m) proposal plus a meaningful sell-on clause in the making, has turned Chelsea’s head. This offer stands at a level that the Blues would consider for the 24-year-old winger. Lyon’s rapport with Chelsea, thanks to the acquisition of Malo Gusto earlier this year, and the club’s intriguing project under American owner John Textor, could weigh in their favour.

Pulisic’s Chelsea Stint

Having joined the Blues from Borussia Dortmund in January 2019, Pulisic made an impressive start. However, his performance has waned since. His stats boast 26 goals in 145 appearances for Chelsea. Nevertheless, this season has been particularly gruelling for him.

“This has been comfortably Pulisic’s most frustrating and least productive season at Chelsea. He ranked 20th in the squad for minutes played across all competitions in 2022-23 and Chelsea have given off plenty of signals in the first year of Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital’s ownership that they are moving on from the American, not least spending in excess of £100 million ($124.1m) combined on Raheem Sterling and Mykhailo Mudryk. After a blistering end to the COVID-19-affected 2019-20 season, Pulisic has never come particularly close to recapturing such form.”

Verdict

With Chelsea seemingly looking forward and Pulisic’s form taking a hit, a move could well be on the cards. Will Lyon’s perseverance pay off? Only time will tell.