Christian Pulisic joins Chelsea from Borussia Dortmund for €64m

Chelsea have signed Christian Pulisic from Borussia Dortmund for €64 million and have loaned the United States international back to the Bundesliga club ahead of him moving to the Premier League next summer.

It was reported late last month that Chelsea made a bid of more than £50 million for Pulisic, who had been linked with Manchester United, Liverpool and Bayern Munich among others.

The 20-year-old, who moved to Germany as a teenager and has made more than 80 appearances for Dortmund, admitted in November that he hoped to play in the Premier League having refused to sign an extension to his existing contract.

Dortmund were unwilling to consider parting with Pulisic during the season, so the 20-year-old winger will spend the rest of the campaign in Germany before moving to Stamford Bridge.

“It was always Christian’s dream to play in the Premier League,” said BVB sporting director Michael Zorc. “That certainly has to do with his American background, and as a result we were unable to extend his contract. Against this background, we have decided to accept an extremely lucrative bid by Chelsea, given the low contract maturity.

“Christian Pulisic is a character perfect player. I am sure that in the coming months he will do everything in his power to bring his high quality to the team and to achieve his sporting goals with his team-mates at Borussia Dortmund.”

“In summer I move on to Chelsea and to a new competition, the English Premier League,” Pulisic said. “It’s a privilege to have signed for such a legendary club and I look forward to working hard towards being a contributor to their team of world class players.”

Speaking to Chelsea’s website, Pulisic admitted it was “a privilege to have signed for such a legendary club and I look forward to working hard towards being a contributor to their team of world class players.”

In an earlier statement, he added: “[I am] looking forward to working with Maurizio Sarri and his technical team. But for the next six months, it’s all BVB! Please do not doubt my passion, determination and my 110% commitment to the team, right until the last ball is kicked this season. We all feel that this is ‘our year’ and we are determined to achieve the best possible results in all competitions.”

He becomes the most expensive American player in history, with Chelsea director Marina Granovskaia stating her delight to have signed “one of Europe’s most sought-after young players”.

“Christian has shown his quality during a fantastic spell in Germany and at just 20, we believe he has the potential to become an important Chelsea player for many years to come,” she said. “We look forward to welcoming him to Stamford Bridge in the summer and wish him and Dortmund every success for the remainder of the season.”

It is rumoured that the decision to join Chelsea next summer, rather than in January, was Pulisic’s decision in order to give him the best chance of impressing Maurizio Sarri during preseason.

Reports suggest that the addition of Pulisic is independent of speculation over the future of Eden Hazard and Callum Hudson-Odoi.

Hazard is far from certain to still be at Stamford Bridge by next season as he continues to postpone contract talks in the hope of attracting a solid offer from Real Madrid, and Sarri has also favoured using the Belgium international as a false No. 9 rather than a winger in recent weeks.

Hudson-Odoi, meanwhile, wants assurances of a significant first-team role before agreeing to a new deal at Stamford Bridge, but Sarri has played down the 18-year-old’s readiness to be a key contributor in the Premier League and Bayern Munich harbour a serious interest in taking him to Germany.

Chelsea do not want to sell Hudson-Odoi, but may feel they have no choice if he allows his contract to run down further. Bayern are believed to regard his potential as similar to that of Borussia Dortmund sensation Jadon Sancho, and have reportedly already had a £20m bid to sign him rejected.

“It has always been Christian’s big dream to play in Premier League,” Dortmund sporting director Michael Zorc said. “This certainly has something to do with his American origin and thus we were not able to prolong his contract.