Chelsea outcast ‘informs’ Poch he has snubbed £21m bid with ‘his mind set’ on club offering £12m
Christian Pulisic does not want to join French club Lyon and has told Chelsea he is holding out for a move to AC Milan, according to reports.
On Sunday, it was reported by The Athletic correspondent David Ornstein that Lyon made a second offer worth €25million (£21.4million) for the United States winger.
The same outlet reported earlier in the day that Milan had also made a bid for the player, which was believed to be in the region of €14m (£12m).
Unsurprisingly, this offer was turned down by Chelsea, who were much more willing to accept the bid from Lyon.
The Ligue 1 giants also included a sell-on clause in their offer with the Blues ‘reluctant’ to let Pulisic leave for any less than the £21.4m they received in writing from Lyon, even though he is out of contract in 2024.
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One big difference between Milan and Lyon’s pursuit is that the former have already agreed personal terms with the 24-year-old.
And it appears Pulisic has no desire to play for the French outfit as he favours a move to San Siro.
According to the Daily Mail, Pulisic has ‘informed’ Chelsea he will not accept a move to the Groupama Stadium – ‘irrespective of their offer’.
Pulisic’s ‘mind is set’ on moving to Milan, who reached the semi-final of last term’s Champions League.
The Rossoneri will be playing in the competition next season and ESPN says ‘Pulisic does not see Lyon as the right move, instead wanting to play Champions League football’, which Lyon cannot offer.
Chelsea need to offload several more first-team stars following the exits of Kalidou Koulibaly, Edouard Mendy, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Kai Havertz and Mateo Kovacic.
Baba Rahman, who is still somehow employed by the Stamford Bridge club, is expected to have his contract terminated to facilitate a move to PAOK in Greece.
Meanwhile, the Blues are looking to offload Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Romelu Lukaku, Ethan Ampadu, Trevoh Chalobah, Malang Sarr, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Hakim Ziyech, and have been told by Cesar Azpilicueta that he wants to join Atletico Madrid.
While they are not actively looking to sell Conor Gallagher, he is another player who could be sacrificed with Newcastle United keen.
Speaking on Sky Sports News, journalist Dharmesh Sheth said Pulisic is more likely to depart than the England midfielder.
“Pulisic looks probably the strongest, of him and Gallagher, to leave Chelsea,” he said.
“He’s actually come out and said it hasn’t worked out for him, particularly last season. Maybe he will need to find a new challenge.”
Chelsea have already completed the signings of Christopher Nkunku, Nicolas Jackson, Diego Moreira and Alex Matos.
They are far from done and will look to sign a new defensive midfielder with a goalkeeper and striker also being targeted.
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