Report: Liverpool eyeing surprise swoop for ex-Chelsea maestro amid curious contract standstill | OneFootball

According to reports in Italy, Liverpool could be eyeing a potential Premier League return for ex-Chelsea playmaker Christian Pulisic.

Now 27, the Reds had first been linked with the United States international when he was a teenager at Borussia Dortmund, with Jurgen Klopp understood to have been quite keen to bring him to Anfield, but no such move ever materialised.

The American has netted against us three times in his career thus far, most recently in our 3-1 win over his current club AC Milan in the Champions League last season when he opened the scoring in the early minutes at San Siro.

Liverpool eyeing move for Pulisic amid contractual uncertainty

On Tuesday, Tuttomercatoweb reported that Liverpool and Arsenal are both eyeing a move for Pulisic amid growing uncertainty over his future with the Rossoneri.

The 27-year-old had reportedly been on the brink of renewing his contract with Max Allegri’s side just three months ago, but there’s yet to be a concrete offer from the club, which has left the player ‘taken aback’.

The American’s bewilderment is exacerbated by the recent renewal of teammate Mike Maignan, although the ex-Chelsea playmaker is believed to be ‘very happy’ in Milan, and San Siro chiefs are expected to present him with a formal proposal soon. His current deal runs to June 2027.

(Photo by Gabriele Maltinti/Getty Images)

Are Liverpool likely to raid Milan for Pulisic this year?

Pulisic could justifiably feel bemused at why it’s taken so long for his club to offer him a contract extension, considering his form for the Rossoneri this season (10 goals in 20 appearances across all competitions).

His underlying creative statistics are also among the best of anyone in his position in Serie A this term, as outlined in the table below citing figures from Fotmob).

The 27-year-old is earning just over £85,000 per week according to Capology, so Liverpool would viably be able to offer him a notable increase in that without disrupting their existing wage structure. Also, his estimated market value according to Football Transfers‘ trusted model is €46.2m (£40.2m), which is certainly wouldn’t break the bank at Anfield.

However, there are two reasons why we’d still take these reports from Italy with a pinch of salt for now. One is Pulisic’s concerning injury record, with seven separate (albeit brief) absences since the start of the 2023/24 campaign (Transfermarkt).

The other stems from Arne Slot’s remarks in his press conference today that Champions League qualification has an ‘enormous impact’ on the Reds’ transfer policy; and with our hopes of being in that tournament next season hanging in the balance, incoming activity may need to be considered much more carefully if we miss out.

Unless the American’s situation at San Siro completely deteriorates, we can probably put a pin in this one for now, until such time that these initial rumours are corroborated by top-tier sources closer to Merseyside.

You can watch Slot’s full pre-Sunderland press conference below, via Empire of the Kop on YouTube: