Chelsea Transfer News 2018: Blues Reportedly Favorites to Sign Borussia Dortmund Star Christian Pulisic
It looks like Chelsea may have put themselves in pole position to sign Borussia Dortmund midfielder Christian Pulisic.
According to the Daily Mail's Simon Jones, the Blues are reportedly prepared to use Dortmund's interest in signing Michy Batshuayi on a permanent deal as a bargaining tool to make a move for Pulisic.
"Chelsea refused to sell the Belgium striker in January but may be open to negotiating Batshuayi's departure in the summer if it opens the door for them to sign Pulisic," Jones wrote in his report.
"Pulisic is under contract until 2020 and Dortmund are reluctant to sell but the 19-year-old has openly admitted a desire to test himself in the Premier League," he continued.
"They know Dortmund will demand a big fee but the prospect of holding a bargaining chip such as Batshuayi could work to their advantage," he added.
A transfer may not be such a bad idea for Pulisic this offseason. With the attacking midfield triumvirate of Marco Reus, Mario Götze, and Andre Schürrle finally healthy enough to play alongside each other, Pulisic may not see much action in important games next season unless one of the three gets hurt again.
Deploying him behind the trio is an option as well, but he will have to compete for playing time against the likes of Julian Weigl, Gonzalo Castro, and Nuri Şahin in central midfield.
Of course, Dortmund may not want to part ways with Pulisic just yet because Reus, Götze, and Schürrle have struggled to stay injury-free in the past couple of seasons. They may need the American star to log heavy minutes again next season.
In any case, Chelsea should try to pry Pulisic away from Dortmund if they get the chance because the opportunity to sign one of the brightest young talents in the game does not come often.
