Christian Pulisic’s future at Chelsea remains unclear with the club willing to listen to transfer offers for the winger this summer, according to reports.
The 23-year-old was unhappy with his playing time under Thomas Tuchel last season despite playing 22 times for Chelsea in the Premier League and missing nine games at the beginning of the campaign due to Covid-19 and an ankle injury picked up on USMNT duty.
"As far as right now, I’m obviously just focused on what I’m doing here. And I’m super excited to be here," Pulisic said on his Chelsea future. "And yeah, that’s it.
Advert
"Of course, I want to get more playing time. I want to be on the field as much as I can and be the sharpest I can be and fit as well.
"I think I still got a lot of games, but it’s always something that I’m working at and trying to be regular at club level as well to put myself in the best position to be fit when I come here with the national team."
Pulisic scored eight times in the 2021/22 season, a figure which came under criticism from Tuchel who scrutinised the whole Chelsea attack for their wastefulness in front of goal.
"Yeah, it is (a concern),” admitted the Chelsea head coach when asked about whether or not Pulisic’s finishing was a concern.
Advert
“He is not the player who produced in the last three seasons 30 goals. We will push him to the limit.”
Despite Tuchel publicly supporting the USMNT star, Chelsea are claimed, as reported by the Guardian, to be open to listening and receiving bids for Pulisic this summer, along with Timo Werner and Hakim Ziyech.
Romelu Lukaku is likely to depart this summer with the club in talks with Inter Milan over a loan deal which would see the Belgium international depart just one season after arriving at Stamford Bridge for a club-record £97.5m.
Advert
With talks ongoing, Technical and Performance Advisor Petr Cech was quizzed on the forward and backed him to have a strong 2022/23 campaign.
He said: "I personally believe that he will have a great season because last season we saw how strong he can be at the beginning when he came.
"Unfortunately, the long-term injury he sustained in the game against (Aston) Villa slowed everything down, then he had Covid as well. We could see towards the end of the season he was fit and ready to go again, how strong he is.
Advert
"We had a particular season as a team around Christmas with Covid issues, he was one of those players affected too. I have full confidence that he will bounce back, he will have a strong season."
Meanwhile, Pulisic has been the subject of interest from Liverpool as they look to replace Sadio Mane who wishes to leave this summer. However, due to the financial costs involved, a move for Pulisic appears unlikely with Liverpool targeting a move for Benfica’s Darwin Nunez.
Topics: Football, Chelsea Transfer News & Rumours, Chelsea, Christian Pulisic
Matthew Debono