Chelsea could be set a race against time to complete two major transfers in the coming weeks. With the pre-season tour of America starting in just over a fortnight, the club are still attempting to prepare their squad for the new campaign.
Much has been said of their frantic sales of players that had been integral to Thomas Tuchel's 2021 Champions League winning side but Mauricio Pochettino has little reason to stand by the underperforming, ageing and overpaid players from that team. He is now pressed with overturning the fortunes of the club.
He will likely have to do this without Christian Pulisic, though. The American is expected to join those that have departed before him with a summer transfer away from Stamford Bridge. After two seasons of footballing purgatory, Pulisic has entered the final 12 months of his contract.
Having come close to leaving last summer on a loan deal to Manchester United or AC Milan, interest in the 24-year-old remains high. Juventus, Napoli, West Ham, Crystal Palace and Lyon have all made their positions clear. There is simply no shortage of potential suitors.
With large wages and a general lack of finances across Europe, though, it is not easy to find teams willing to pay big money for the attacker. Much like Kai Havertz, despite his issues in England, he is an experienced player in European competitions with a track record and much promise. After Havertz was sold for £65million ($82m), Chelsea know that the market does exist.
However, with Italy strapped for cash and Pulisic entering the final year of his deal with a tiny total needed to secure a booked profit after four seasons in west London, there is yet to be an agreement between the two clubs. Although Pulisic has reportedly reached an agreement over personal terms, no such stance has been found between the parties.
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Given the aim of not having to take an unhappy player to America for pre-season, there is an impending timeline to have this deal completed. Otherwise, Pulisic will either be left behind and stranded at Cobham or attending the tour without much hope of getting into Pochettino's plans.
After the sale of Ruben Loftus-Cheek to AC Milan for £18million ($22m) there have already been positive talks between the sides and that only increases the chances of a compromise being reached here. Milan, though, are also in the market for one of Pulisic's USMNT teammates.
According to Fabrizio Romano they are in talks with Valencia midfielder Yunus Musah. The 20-year-old is another known target for Chelsea, who see the former Arsenal academy star as a potential addition to the squad heading into the new season.
He has a major £86million ($108.2m) release clause but after a disappointing campaign in Spain is not set for a transfer for that much. He is, though, seen as a serious option for just £15million ($19m) after an initial offer was made for his services.
Talks over that deal are expected to continue across the coming weeks and it opens up a dilemma for Chelsea. Should they lose out on Musah it would not only see one of their potential targets heading elsewhere, it eats into the Milan funds that they are hoping would be spent on Pulisic.
