Christian Pulisic agrees to join AC Milan, but transfer up in air

Christian Pulisic is headed to AC Milan — or so it seems.

The USMNT captain has reached an agreement on a long-term deal to leave Chelsea and move to Italian Serie A team AC Milan, but the clubs have yet to agree on a transfer fee, sending the deal to a standstill, per ESPN.

Pulisic, who has seen his playing time decline on Chelsea over the last two seasons due to injury, has 12 months remaining on his contract and is willing to take a substantial pay cut to make the deal work, according to ESPN.

However, the two clubs remain apart on transfer fee negotiations, as Chelsea wants the equivalent of $27 million while Milan is aiming to purchase Pulisic for around $19 million.

Chelsea believes that the recent departure of Sandro Tonali from Milan to Newcastle United will allow Milan to pay more, but the Italian club wants to use the money from the Pulisic deal to acquire more players.

The impasse has put the signing in jeopardy, per the report.

The 24-year-old American, who was purchased from Dortmund in 2019, scored just one goal in Premier League play last season.

After Chelsea was purchased by new ownership a year ago, the club has spent more than $732m on new players and is looking to trim its roster bill.

Pulisic, who has been playing on the USMNT since he was 17, played in four matches in the 2022 World Cup, scoring one goal and notching two assists.

AC Milan, which finished fourth in the Serie A table, is looking to recapture the league title after last winning it during the 2021-22 season.

Forward Rafael Leão led the club with 15 goals and eight assists last season.