Christian Pulisic’s role in Chelsea’s move for AC Milan striker Rafael Leao this summer has been revealed.
Throughout the course of the transfer window Pulisic faced an uncertain future at the Blues, having been unable to find consistent game time in recent months.
He was linked with a move to Liverpool earlier in the summer and even Manchester United later on, but has remained in Thomas Tuchel’s squad for the season.
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One of Chelsea’s aims in the market was to welcome new attacking players, with Raheem Sterling arriving as one of their early signings.
Their focus was soon set on a striker, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang making a Deadline Day transfer from Barcelona.
Tuchel’s side are also thought to have made a move for Leao towards the latter stages of the window, but he has stayed at the San Siro.
It has now been revealed by The Athletic that Pulisic was actually involved in a potential deal for the Portuguese international.
He is said to have been ‘part of the initial packages’ that Chelsea had offered to Milan for the forward, similar to Timo Werner’s involvement in a potential deal for Matthijs de Ligt earlier in the summer.
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However with the transfer window now shut until January the Blues’ squad has been finalised, with Pulisic remaining in west London.
Chelsea made six key signings this summer, with Sterling, Kalidou Koulibaly, Marc Cucurella, Wesley Fofana, Aubameyang and Denis Zakaria all making the move to Stamford Bridge.
In his pre-match press conference for the game against West Ham, Tuchel shared his thoughts on the window and the club’s spending as his side prepare to continue with their busy campaign.
He said: “(Broke the transfer record?) Oh really?
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“We can discuss if we over spend or if it is too much money for the players but the players we got are very very good players, very good personalities.
“Everything was desperately needed to rebuild the group and inspire the group. I think we did excellent signings. It does not help if we talk about the price too much.
“It’s maybe hard to argue this is way too much money, okay. This is how the market was for us. Maybe we were not in the perfect position to always find the right timing and price.
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“That’s nobody’s fault. The players we got fit perfectly. I am very happy to work with this group.”
Chelsea announced on Friday that Armando Broja has signed a new deal at the club, with his contract now set to run until 2028.
Recent reports have also hinted that Reece James is set to put pen to paper on a long-term contract at Stamford Bridge.
Topics: Chelsea, Christian Pulisic, AC Milan, Chelsea Transfer News & Rumours
Robert Calcutt