Milan have reached an agreement with Chelsea to sign Christian Pulisic in a deal worth up to €22m ($24.2m, £18.8m).
The fee is set to be €20m initially plus €2m in add-ons, with a sale clause advantageous in the event of a future transfer.
Milan made a second bid for Pulisic in a package worth up to €22m on Wednesday, after previously bidding $15.3m for the USMNT captain.
The 24-year-old is set to leave Chelsea after struggling to secure a place in the squad and seek regular playing time a few years ago for the USMNT. The 2024 Copa America will be held next summer before the United States co-hosts the 2026 World Cup.
Lyon also made a €25m bid for Pulisic earlier this week, more in line with the figure Chelsea were hoping for. However, Pulisic has made it clear that he is not interested in joining Lyon.
Pulisic, who has only a year left on his contract with Chelsea, already has an agreement with Milan.
Chelsea and Milan have established a good relationship in the past few years, with Olivier Giroud, Fikayo Tomori, Tiemoue Bakayoko and, most recently, Ruben Loftus-Cheek all joining the Italian club.
The arrival of Loftus-Cheek earlier in this window means Milan have filled one of two non-EU scoring slots for next season. Pulisic does not count from the second because he holds a Croatian passport.
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Pulisic has started just eight Premier League matches for Chelsea during the 2022-23 season.
He joined from Borussia Dortmund in a £58m ($63.6m) deal in January 2019 before remaining on loan in Germany for the remainder of the season.
Pulisic was part of the Champions League winning squad in 2020-21, scoring in the first leg of the semi-final against Real Madrid.
Despite his struggles domestically, Pulisic remains a key player for the United States, with 60 caps and 25 goals for his country.
He started all four USMNT matches at the 2022 World Cup and was named player of the match in two of his team’s three group stage matches. Pulisic finished the tournament with one goal and two assists in four matches.
He was named player of the tournament 2023 CONCACAF Nations League Finals where the United States defeated Canada in the final to lift the trophy. This victory was his second successive victory in the Nations League.
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Pulisic ranked 20th in the squad for minutes played in all competitions in 2022-23 and has given Chelsea plenty of signs in the first year of ownership Todd Bohle and Clearlake Capital that they are moving from America, not the least of which is spending over £100m ($124.1m) combined. On the pound sterling and Mykhailo Modric.
It is hard to pinpoint the source of the hatred towards Pulisic from some in the Chelsea fan base. His perceived criticism of hugely popular former coach Thomas Tuchel in his 2022 book has gone down badly with many.
Some of it may also be a reaction to the hype that still surrounds him across the Atlantic as the face of American football – a hype he has largely justified with a series of impressive performances in world Cup in Qatar.
Perhaps arising simply from frustration, after a sharp end to the COVID-19 affected 2019-20 season, Pulisic has never come close to regaining such form.
(Photo: Dan Mullan/Getty Images)
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