Manchester United are ready to battle Liverpool and Chelsea for the rising sensation Christian Pulisic, according to reports.
José Mourinho highly pursued Inter Milan winger Ivan Perišić during the summer of 2017 but didn’t succeed. This time, the situation for Pulisic seems to be different.
The poor form of Alexis Sanchez – who reportedly wants to leave Old Trafford – and the potential departure of Juan Mata this summer has made signing another crucial player a huge priority.
It seems like the young American is Premier League-bound next year as rumours of Pulisic’s departure intensify. He has been linked to Liverpool in past seasons which included a failed bid two seasons ago, and Chelsea this time around. Now, Manchester United have apparently also entered the race to bag the beast.
The midfielder will have one year remaining on his contract when summer rolls around, which means that Dortmund will have far less negotiating power this time. As such, the club reportedly put a £70 million price tag on him for the upcoming window.
Past Reports on Pulisic
This is not the first time United have been linked with the American; some pundits speculate that this has been his preferred destination all along. Reacting to the news that Manchester United could be interested, fans recalled an interview earlier this year where Pulisic stated that he was a United fan when he was small, feeling that they had the edge in any transfer battle with their Premier League rivals.
“Yeah, I was. I was definitely a big fan,” he told ESPN by The Independent.
Moreover, the £70 million price tag is steep for a player like Pulisic. Even in this inflated market, Liverpool would be paying mostly for potential, not immediate contribution.
The US international has established himself as one of the most exciting prospects in Europe but is now struggling for game time after the emergence of Jadon Sancho.
Jürgen Klopp knows the midfielder well from their time together at Borussia Dortmund, and has repeatedly been tipped to bring him. The big guns of EPL have also been handed a huge boost after he said he could see himself playing in England one day soon.
“England, the Premier League, is a league where lots of kids dream of playing. So there is no reason why maybe one day I won’t play here,” he added.
The American has scored three goals and set up two more in Dortmund’s excellent season so far. If he has dreams of playing at United and they are in for him, it’s hard to see any other outcome other than him ending up at Old Trafford. Mourinho is desperate to strengthen his squad in the January transfer window after a tough start to the season. Of course, this is all speculation at this point. The only thing certain is that Pulisic is set to be hot property this season.
