Christian Pulisic has recently entered the final year of his contract with AC Milan, and he could be on the move this summer.
12:00, 03 Jul 2026
Christian Pulisic of USA during the World Cup match between USA v Bosnia and Herzegovina at the San Francisco Bay Area Stadium on July 1, 2026 in San Francisco Bay Area United States
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Christian Pulisic faces an uncertain future at AC Milan(Image: Photo by Eric Verhoeven/Soccrates/Getty Images)
Christian Pulisic could give Chelsea a much-needed boost in the transfer window. The 27-year-old winger, whom AC Milan signed from the Blues for £20m in July 2023, has turned heads at the World Cup this summer, helping the United States reach the last-16.
Pulisic has featured in all but one of the co-hosts' fixtures, playing a key role in Mauricio Pochettino's side despite an injury scare. The former Chelsea ace leapt out of the gates in the opening clash of the tournament, teeing up Folarin Balogun to double the United States' lead over Paraguay.
Towards the end of the first half, Pulisic suffered a knock to the calf and was taken off at the break as a precaution. Eager to keep the forward fresh for the business end of the World Cup, he was left out of the matchday squad for the win over Australia, which sealed qualification to the knockout stages.
Pulisic was given half an hour or so off the bench in the final group stage clash, a defeat to Turkey, before returning to the starting lineup in the round of 32. The Milan star dragged the United States to victory against Bosnia, and they will face Belgium in the last-16 on Monday night.
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Pulisic will be hoping to put himself in the shop window this summer. The winger has recently entered the final year of his contract at the San Siro, meaning that from January, foreign clubs will be eligible to open pre-contract talks ahead of a free transfer in the summer of 2027.
Unless the Serie A outfit believes Pulisic will sign a new deal beforehand, they face a difficult decision. Milan must weigh up whether they'd rather risk losing the American for free or cut their losses and cash in during either the summer or winter transfer window.
If Milan were to accept a bid for Pulisic, Chelsea would be entitled to a 'meaningful sell-on clause', according to The Athletic. The clause could add millions to the kitty at Stamford Bridge, with the winger currently priced at £34m by Transfermarkt.
Folarin Balogun #20 of the United States celebrates scoring his team's third goal with Christian Pulisic #10 during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group D match between USA and Paraguay at Los Angeles Stadium on June 12, 2026 in Los Angeles, California
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Folarin Balogun and Christian Pulisic for the USMNT(Image: Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
This would allow Xabi Alonso and the sporting leadership team in west London the chance to further bolster the squad. The Blues have enjoyed a promising start to the window, signing Marco Palestra from Atalanta for £47m.
Chelsea have since turned their attention to Pep Chavarria and Granit Xhaka, who remain heavily linked with moves to Stamford Bridge. football.london understands that the Blues recently began club-to-club negotiations with Rayo Vallecano in an attempt to sign the former.
It's also understood that Chelsea are preparing to table a new-and-improved bid for the latter after an initial offer worth £8m was rejected by Sunderland. The opening proposal was said to infuriate higher-ups at the Stadium of Light, who want to keep Xhaka.
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The Blues have not been deterred, though, and they're gearing up to make another bid. The 33-year-old midfielder is believed to be open to joining Chelsea and reuniting with Alonso, with whom he enjoyed a lot of success at Bayer Leverkusen a couple of years ago.
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