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Report: Manchester United, Liverpool eyeing Pulisic for summer transfer

Rumors are spreading that Premier League clubs Manchester United and Liverpool are preparing to chase after U.S. Men’s National Team standout Christian Pulisic this summer, according to the Independent.

The links to Merseyside are nothing new. Liverpool were reportedly interested in the teenager last summer, but a deal never materialized and he remained in Germany. Manchester United are newer to the race, and claim they will make a bid for Pulisic should Liverpool get involved.

“I am playing every week in the Bundesliga, in the Champions League, against top teams,” he told The Independent.

“When you do that every week, you are going to improve. When you play against the best players, you’re going to grow. I’m learning a lot: tactically, technically, gaining strength.”

With this in mind, he would have some high end talents to surpass in the pecking order should he leave for either of these two choices.

At United, the highly regarded Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial occupy the left attacking midfield slot that Pulisic would man in their 4-2-3-1 formation. Rashford, while still only 20, has shown a lot of talent at the Premier League level. This season alone he has four goals and five assists in 22 league appearances. Pulisic only has three Bundesliga goals and a lone assist.

On the other side, United have Juan Mata, who might be a little easier for Pulisic to surpass in the long run. He’s productive as both a scorer and playmaker, but his advanced age would make it easier for Jose Mourinho to move on from.

United, however, are reportedly on the lookout for a wide player and could reportedly offer former Dortmund man Henrikh Mkhitaryan in a swap-deal. The Armenian international supposedly wants to return to Germany after failing to catch on with Mourinho’s side.

Liverpool present a similar situation. Sadio Mane occupies the left side of the attack Jurgen Klopp’s 4-3-3 and has done quite well in that spot over the past couple years. He has five goals and four assists on the year in the Premier League, both outdoing Pulisic, while also adding on three goals in Champions League play. He’s in the prime of his career at 25-years-old and probably won’t step aside for a 19-year-old American getting his first crack at the Premier League

Opposite Mane is Mohammed Salah, who has taken England by storm in his first year with Liverpool. His 17 Premier League goals are second only to Harry Kane at this point and he shows no signs of slowing down. Should Pulisic make the move to Liverpool over the summer, there’s no way he knocks the Egyptian off his perch in the starting eleven.

There are other factors at Liverpool that would help Pulisic out, however. Jurgen Klopp was the manager at Dortmund when he first signed with the club back in 2015 at the age of 16. While Klopp was gone within a few months of him arriving, that brief history together could mean something should the two link up again.

Comments

  1. I just want to be clear here, he rejected Liverpool, no?

    Because the article and commenters are acting like it was the other way around.

    Reply
  2. Pulisic is pretty levelheaded, and more importantly, does not have the “stars in his eyes” mentality of some younger players, and won’t be demanding to be traded, as he actually likes playing at, and for, BVB. Do not think its only the EPL looking,All of the top teams, and especially Real Madrid, a well as Barcelona and PSG are tracking him.
    His ability and desirability will be evaluated this season and expect bids this summer, If Pulisic has a good run of form, expect bids at around 70m this summer

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  3. Pass. Neither are ideal fits. Dortmund is not looking good at the moment but I would try to be part of the rebuild there, at least until Real Madrid start calling

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  4. I really like this guy (no longer a kid), however, he’s not THAT good – not good enough to make it, consistency on an EPL top 4 or top 5 team. Yes, he’s better, skill wise, than LD or Dempsey, but he has a ways to go before he realistically reaches their status, and that includes of course being largely injury free. It’s unfortunate that we don’t crank out better players, but I think Dortmund is by far the best place for him for a year or two longer, minimum.

    I hope I’m wrong, however.

    Reply
    • Well I guess lucky for him he still as about 12 years or so to reach their “status”. Pretty pointless comment IMO, but I do agree he should stay at Dortmund. I’ll give you that.

      Reply
      • All of our comments are pointless ChrisB. Why would you think otherwise?

        I made the comparison with LD and Dempsey because Dempsey played for Tottenham one season, who finished fourth the year he played with them.

    • People don’t understand just how hard it is to make the jump from any league into the the EPL or La Liga. It’s like going from second to first division and a lot of much better players than Pulisic have failed at it.
      The thought of him not making it makes most American fans wake up in cold sweats but it’s a reality.

      Reply
  5. If he continues to improve, his value will only increase. I would counsel him to wait two years before moving. I don’;t know how much he is making now, but in two years, he could be making at least $10 million per year is my guess.

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  6. I’d rather have him playing at dortmund than on the bench in the EPL. Not saying he wouldn’t crack the starting lineup on a big EPL side, but another year becoming more consistent in the bundesliga wouldn’t hurt.

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  7. How can I be happy about Pulisic being chased by two of the biggest clubs in the world when we just lost a Liga MX player? Why God, Whyyyy?!?

    And for the record, I think he’d be better offer playing another year at Dortmund, but who’s going to turn ManU down. Not me, and not my son.

    Reply

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