Christian Pulisic Chelsea transfer: Blues seal £58m deal but US star will remain on loan at Borussia Dortmund
Chelsea have agreed to loan the United States international to Dortmund in order to see out the Bundesliga campaign
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Your support makes all the difference.Borussia Dortmund have confirmed that Christian Pulisic has joined Chelsea in a £58m deal, but the attacking midfielder will not move to Stamford Bridge until the end of the season as he will remain in Germany on loan.
The 20-year-old, who has already played for the United States 23 times since making his debut in 2016, has become Chelsea’s third most-expensive signing in their history after the £71m deal for goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga and £60m acquisition of striker Alvaro Morata, and after eventually confirming the news soon after Dortmund's announcement, Chelsea believe they have secured one of the best young talents in the world.
“We are delighted to have signed one of Europe’s most sought-after young players,” said Chelsea director Marina Granovskaia. “Christian has shown his quality during a fantastic spell in Germany and at just 20, we believe he has the potential to become an important Chelsea player for many years to come. We look forward to welcoming him to Stamford Bridge in the summer and wish him and Dortmund every success for the remainder of the season.”
Pulisic added: “In summer I move on to Chelsea and to a new competition, the English Premier League. It’s a privilege to have signed for such a legendary club and I look forward to working hard towards being a contributor to their team of world class players.”
However, the move will likely be seen as an expensive one given that Pulisic had just one more year remaining on his contract come the end of the season and would’ve been available on a free transfer in 2020 had he not extended his deal at the Signal Iduna Park.
"It was always Christian's dream to play in the Premier League," said Dortmund's sporting director Michael Zorc.
"That certainly has to do with his American background and as a result we were unable to extend his contract. Because of this, we have decided to accept an extremely lucrative bid by Chelsea, given the low contract security."
With Dortmund currently six points ahead of Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga, Pulisic could yet arrive at Chelsea as a German league winner, with the talented youngster set to complete his move to the Premier League in the summer.
Pulisic will return to England after initially spending time as a young boy with Brackley Town, with a spell back in the US sandwiched between that and his move to Dortmund in 2015. He has since gone on to make 114 first-team appearances for the German outfit and earned a reputation as one of the brightest young talents in European football, having also represented his country on these shores against England at Wembley last November.
The signing comes as Maurizio Sarri third major signing since replacing Antonio Conte, with Kepa and Jorginho arriving at the start of the season, and the Italian manager will hope that it will enable him to build an exciting attack that combines Pulisic with Eden Hazard, providing Chelsea can keep the Belgian out of the clutches of Real Madrid.
Hazard is out of contract in 2020 and has an offer on the table from Chelsea to extend his stay in south-west London, but Madrid have made no secret of their desire to see him at the Bernabeu in the very near future. The arrival of Pulisic is no suggestion that Hazard is heading for the exit though, with the club completing the transfer while retaining plans to keep Hazard at Stamford Bridge.
Pulisic also confirmed the move, with a lengthy statement paying tribute to Dortmund for his four years there, and expressing his delight at securing a move to a “legendary club” in the form of Chelsea.
“In summer of 2019, I move on to Chelsea and to a new competition, the English Premier League,” he said. “It’s a privilege to have signed for such a legendary club and I look forward to working hard towards being a contributor to their team of world class players. Looking forward to working with Maurizio Sarri and his technical team.”
But it was his words for the Dortmund fans – as well as his past and present teammates – that proved the most touching, with Pulisic admitting that the decision to leave has been a tough one but ultimately the one he needed to make as his prepares for the next chapter of his career.
“It is with a heavy heart that I announce that I will be entering my final months at (y)our world-famous club,” Pulisic wrote on his Twitter account.
“It feels like only yesterday that I arrived in Dortmund as a raw, excited, very nervous but exceptionally proud 16-year-old from a small American town called Hershey. I had no idea what lay ahead but I soon discover that as a young Schwarzgelben, I would be in the best possible hands.
“I would not be where I am today without the club and their belief in giving players a chance. It’s been an honour and a dream to pull on the black and yellow in front of the Sudtribune!
“Many, many memorable moments stand out – to have experienced all of them before my 20th birthday still feels, at times, like a dream/ I would like to thank all those coaches who I have played under and who gave me these opportunities.
“And to my amazing teammates throughout the years: you took me in as a young boy, shared your experience with me, helped me to develop and grow into a professional footballer. For this I sincerely thank you.
“To our unbelievable fans: it’s been a privilege to stand with you on the Sudtribune and to experience how you supporter your heroes. I feel honoured to have (been) able to make the trip from being supporter, to being supporter. You have taken me in as one of your own. Thank you.
“I would also like to thank Mr Watzke and Mr Zorc. It was very importance to me that I handed my situation in as fair and professional manner as possible towards the club. So I thank them for finding a solution that was a win-win for everyone.
“But for the next six months, it’s all BVB! Please do not doubt my passion, determination and my 110 per cent commitment to the team right until the last ball is kicked this season. We all feel that this is ‘our year’ and we are determined to achieve the best possible results in all competitions. Heja BVB!”
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