United States international Christian Pulisic is on the verge of leaving Chelsea to join Serie A giants AC Milan. While an agreement in principle has been reached between Pulisic and Milan, the two clubs are still in negotiations regarding the transfer fee. Sources in Italy have confirmed that Pulisic is willing to take a significant pay cut to facilitate the move, with only minor details left to be sorted out before a complete agreement on personal terms can be reached.
Transfer Fee Dispute
The main point of contention in the negotiations between Chelsea and Milan is the transfer fee. Chelsea is seeking €25 million ($27.3m), while Milan is considering a range between €15m-€18m ($16.4m-$19.6m). The discrepancy in valuation has led to some impatience on Milan’s side, as they are eager to secure the deal. However, Chelsea believes that Milan’s potential sale of Sandro Tonali to Newcastle United provides them with the financial capacity to pay a higher fee. Milan, on the other hand, wants to use the proceeds from Tonali’s transfer to acquire three to four new players. This disagreement has put the deal at risk, with Milan contemplating walking away from the negotiation process.
Pulisic’s Preference and Chelsea’s Situation
Despite the ongoing negotiations, Christian Pulisic has expressed his desire to join AC Milan. The 24-year-old American winger, who was signed by Chelsea for €64m ($69.8m) from Borussia Dortmund in 2019, has only one year left on his current contract. Chelsea, under pressure to reduce the size of their squad and wage bill after significant investments in new players, considers Pulisic a potential departure candidate. The club has spent over £600m ($762m) on new recruits since its acquisition by a consortium a year ago. Pulisic’s name has been mentioned in discussions with several clubs, including Manchester United, Newcastle, Napoli, AC Milan, and Galatasaray. These clubs have been made aware of Pulisic’s likely fee and salary, which currently stands at £13m ($16.5m) per year at Chelsea.
Pulisic’s time at Chelsea has been plagued by injuries, hindering his progress over the past two seasons. In fact, he faced criticism from a small section of Chelsea supporters when he was substituted during the final game of last season against Newcastle. With Chelsea’s recent acquisitions of Mykhailo Mudryk, Raheem Sterling, Noni Madueke, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, and David Datro Fofana, as well as the loan signing of Joao Felix from Atletico Madrid, Pulisic has fallen out of favor at the club. He was initially set to leave on loan in January but was sidelined for two months due to a knee injury.
Christian Pulisic’s potential move to AC Milan is in a delicate stage, with an agreement in principle already reached between the player and the club. However, negotiations between Chelsea and Milan regarding the transfer fee are ongoing. While Pulisic is willing to accept a pay cut, the clubs have yet to find common ground. Chelsea believes that Milan’s financial situation allows for a higher fee, but Milan wants to allocate the funds towards multiple player acquisitions. Pulisic remains determined to join Milan, but the outcome of the deal is uncertain at this time.
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