An MLS star of yesteryear has claimed that his former club has made a mistake in not signing Christian Pulisic from Chelsea this summer.
The USMNT talisman is expected to depart Stamford Bridge imminently, with Italian giants AC Milan set to win the race for his signature after the winger snubbed the advances of French club Lyon. The 24-year-old had a season to forget last term, playing just 811 minutes for the Blues as they finished in a lowly 13th place in the Premier League.
Now it appears that Pulisic's time in West London is coming to a close after a difficult couple of years, during which he has fallen behind a host of stars in the pecking order including Mykhailo Mudryk and new recruit Christopher Nkunku. The man supporters once dubbed "Captain America" has just one year left on his contract at Chelsea and the Blues are ready to cash in.
The Rossoneri agreed a fee with his current employers and he will travel to Italy to undergo a medical this week, according to Sky Italia. If the deal goes through, he will be the second Blues player to leave for AC Milan this window, following on from Ruben Loftus-Cheek.
Pulisic's impending switch has not come with the seal of approval from compatriot and former MLS stalwart Landon Donovan. The former LA Galaxy forward — considered by many to be the greatest player in the country's history — rather feels that the Pennsylvanian ace should have been brought back to his homeland instead.
The ex-Everton loan star expressed the view that his a move to MLS would have been more suitable, especially with the World Cup taking place in the country in three years time. Hosting duties will be shared with Canada and Mexico in 2026 and Donovan feels that LA Galaxy should have looked to bring in an American household name ahead of this landmark tournament.
Citing the expected impact of the impending arrival of Lionel Messi at Inter Miami on the popularity of the sport stateside, he told Fox Sports: "I’m sure he’s making plenty of money, but the ability to come to MLS is kind of like [Lionel] Messi’s.
"I’m not so sure that wasn’t a big reason for [Lionel] Messi and the World Cup coming here. I think it would have been a great move for the Galaxy to go out and get Christian [Pulisic]. Bring him here and pay whatever you have to pay him.
"Bring an American superstar who has global recognition back to MLS ahead of the World Cup. I think it would have been a great move, and I can hear the Twitterverse going crazy.”
A previous report in Spanish outlet AS, did contend that MLS chiefs are already in the process of assessing potential options to replace Messi as the league's leading light in the coming years. The 36-year-old is yet to officially sign his contract with the Herons but it is expected that the deal will run until 2025, with an option for another year.
