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Christian Pulisic joins AC Milan from Chelsea on permanent deal

Christian Pulisic joins AC Milan from Chelsea on permanent deal
© Reuters
AC Milan confirm the signing of American attacker Christian Pulisic on a permanent deal from Chelsea.

AC Milan have confirmed the signing of American attacker Christian Pulisic on a permanent deal from Chelsea.

The 24-year-old departs the Blues after a mixed four-and-a-half year spell and has penned a four-year contract with the Rossoneri until the end of the 2026-27 campaign.

Pulisic's deal also includes the option to extend his stay until 2028, and he becomes Milan's fourth signing of the summer after Luka Romero, Marco Sportiello and another former Chelsea man in Ruben Loftus-Cheek.

Milan are reported to have paid an upfront fee of €20m (£17.1m) to sign the former Borussia Dortmund man, who was also linked with Lyon but had his heart set on a switch to San Siro.

Pulisic bids farewell to Chelsea after coming up with 26 goals and 21 assists in 145 matches, winning the Champions League, Club World Cup and UEFA Super Cup in that time.

USA attacker Christian Pulisic pictured during a press conference on December 1, 2022© Reuters

However, the consensus is that Pulisic failed to live up to expectations at Chelsea following his €64m (£54.7m) arrival from Dortmund, where he remained on loan during the first six months of his Chelsea contract.

Pulisic's debut season in West London was a positive one, as the USA international scored nine goals and provided six assists in 15 Premier League games and opened the scoring in the 2019-20 FA Cup final against Arsenal, who went on to defeat Frank Lampard's side 2-1.

The attacker struggled for consistency during Thomas Tuchel's reign, though, and his fortunes did not improve under Graham Potter or Lampard following the German's sacking.

The 2022-23 campaign saw Pulisic register just one goal and two assists in 30 appearances, starting a mere eight games in the Premier League and one in the Champions League.

Pulisic becomes the 12th Chelsea player to head for the exit door this summer as the Blues' summer cull continues, with Baba Rahman, Mason Mount, Kai Havertz, Mateo Kovacic, Tiemoue Bakayoko, Kalidou Koulibaly, Edouard Mendy, Cesar Azpilicueta, N'Golo Kante and Loftus-Cheek also departing for pastures new.

Christian Pulisic in Chelsea training on September 13, 2022© Reuters

David Datro Fofana has also joined Bundesliga side Union Berlin on loan, and more outgoings are expected in the coming weeks as Mauricio Pochettino gets to grips with his squad.

Chelsea are expected to listen to bids for Pulisic's fellow wingers Hakim Ziyech and Callum Hudson-Odoi, although the former's proposed move to Al-Nassr apparently broke down due to a failed medical.

The arrivals of Christopher Nkunku and Nicolas Jackson are also set to push Romelu Lukaku and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang out of the exit door, while Conor Gallagher, Trevoh Chalobah, Malang Sarr and Ethan Ampadu are all facing uncertain futures.

Pulisic could make his friendly debut for Milan against Real Madrid on July 23, before the Rossoneri also meet Juventus and Barcelona in the United States as part of the Soccer Champions Tour.

Meanwhile, Chelsea also cross the Atlantic to meet Wrexham, Brighton & Hove Albion, Newcastle United, Fulham and Pulisic's former club Dortmund in a quintet of summer friendlies in the USA.

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