For Chelsea FC, the off-season is officially here and that means it’s time to talk transfer narratives. And honestly, most Blues supporters have been wanting to shift into this mode for a long time already. Christian Pulisic is one of many Chelsea players who will be heading out the exit door this summer.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is another, and we’ll focus on him later on.
Chelsea Transfer Talk Part 2: go here
But let’s start with Captain America, who’s been linked with move to several clubs in Serie A, as well as Chelsea’s Premier League rivals Manchester United and Newcastle. Galatasaray in the Turkish Super League are another club that is supposedly in the mix.
But we’ll focus on Italy for now, as it appears Juventus have jumped to the front of the line.
Juve have been linked with Pulisic for some time, with one club legend actually publicly endorsing the idea of Pulisic coming over to Massimiliano Allegri’s side.
The Old Lady are the favorites to land Captain America, in a deal with $25 million, according to ESPN. It’s not a done deal yet though, as fellow Serie A stalwarts Napoli, AC Milan and Inter Milan have all been listed as possible destinations as well.
Pulisic at the end of game. pic.twitter.com/mE3IfhYzWF
— crunch_time (@corygawlikowski) May 29, 2023
Pulisic, who set the transfer fee record for an American when he transferred in from Borussia Dortmund for $72 million in January of 2019, was booed when he came on the pitch by Chelsea supporters during their final game on Championship Sunday.
As we’ve written before in a piece on Pulisic, Chelsea FC seems to be the place where the careers of attacking midfielders and strikers go to die.
In addition to Pulisic, you can also look at Romelu Lukaku, Timo Werner, Hakim Ziyech, Kai Havertz and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
The last two players listed there were named to ESPN FC’s Worst XI of the season, along one more teammate, defender Marc Cucurella.
it’s a dubious distinction to be sure, but certainly deserving in the case of Aubameyang, whose initial signing was a head-scratcher in the first place. He’s like the new Mario Balotelli, clubs keep thinking they can fix the player and the man, but it is not going to happen.
According to the Evening Standard, “Chelsea are prepared to accept a nominal fee and take a loss on the £12 million they paid for him less than a year ago.”
Saudi Arabian clubs are said to be interested in Auba, as are Atletico Madrid and AC Milan. The article also goes on to say that PEA will be one of the first players to go, in this inevitable summer clear out, with a return to FC Barcelona another potential possibility.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He’s written for numerous publications, including the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. He regularly appears on NTD News and WGN News Now. Follow the website on Twitter and Instagram.