Borussia Dortmund’s Christian Pulisic celebrates scoring a goal during their UEFA Champions League match against Benfica, in Dortmund
LONDON, United Kingdom, Jan 2 – Christian Pulisic has joined Chelsea in a Sh7.5bn (£57.6mn) move from Borussia Dortmund but will be immediately loaned back to the German club for the remainder of the 2018/19 season.
The 20-year-old United States international becomes the second most expensive outfield player in Chelsea’s history, after Alvaro Morata.
“In summer I move on to Chelsea and to a new competition, the English Premier League,” said Pulisic, who has made 114 appearances for Dortmund since breaking into the first team in 2015.
“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.”
Chelsea director Marina Granovskaia added: “We are delighted 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.
“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.”
Dortmund sporting director Michael Zorc says the Bundesliga leaders attempted to persuade Pulisic to sign a contract extension at the Westfalenstadion, with his previous deal due to expire in 2020.
“It was always Christian’s dream to play in the Premier League,” said 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.”
