ESPN have made a claim that they’ve been told by their sources, that Manchester United are open to the idea of signing Christian Pulisic on loan from Chelsea in the January transfer window.
Why?
At first glance, Manchester United seem set when it comes to high quality wide attackers, which is Pulisic’s primary role on the pitch, with the likes of Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, Antony, Anthony Elanga, and now 18-year-old Alejandro Garnacho too, competing for the the two spots in the starting XI.
However, Pulisic is also capable of playing as a ‘false nine’, a part of a striker partnership, or even as a No. 10 behind a striker. In any of these roles, he could prove a valuable asset for Erik ten Hag over the jam-packed second half of the season. The likeliest role the United has in mind for the 24-year-old is to provide quality cover for Bruno Fernandes as the central attacking midfielder, with Christian Eriksen, also capable of doing that job, mostly deployed deeper in midfield.
What about Chelsea and Pulisic?
Pulisic’s contract with Chelsea has about 20 months left to run, expiring in the summer of 2024.
It seems at this point that Graham Potter, brought in to replace Thomas Tuchel in the Stamford Bridge dugout, doesn’t trust the USA international too much. Pulisic has 13 Premier League appearances this term, but he’s only started three of those matches and came on as a substitute for the rest.
With that in mind, it stands to reason not to expect Pulisic to sign a new contract with Chelsea, and for the club to consider parting ways with him on a permanent transfer at the end of the season. With that in mind, it would certainly make sense for them to allow him to leave on loan in January to show his talents more frequently, but it remains to be seen if they allow him to join a direct rival for top-four placement, which United certainly are.
