Chelsea have completed the £57.6million signing of Christian Pulisic but agreed to loan him back to Borussia Dortmund for the rest of the season.
Winger Pulisic has become the third most expensive signing in Chelsea’s history, following goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga and Alvaro Morata.
USA international Pulisic had just 18 months left on his contract at Borussia Dortmund, who were refusing to let him go until the end of the campaign.
Chelsea, though, wanted to get a deal agreed now to avoid competition for his signature and were prepared to pay a higher sum to do it.
Pulisic, 20, said: “In summer I move to Chelsea and to a new competition, the English Premier League.
“It’s a privilege to sign for a legendary club and I look forward to working hard towards being a contributor to their team of world-class players. Looking forward to working with Maurizio Sarri and his technical team.”
Chelsea first earmarked the 20-year-old as a potential signing in the summer but, as Standard Sport reported, they did not make an official approach until last month.
The Blues have four attacking wide players in their squad — Eden Hazard, Pedro, Willian and Callum Hudson-Odoi — all of whom are out of contract in 2020.
Pulisic’s arrival increases speculation over the future of Hazard and Hudson-Odoi in particular because they have refused to sign deals and Sarri admitted at the weekend he wanted the club to buy a winger.
Sources within Chelsea, however, suggest Pulisic’s arrival is unrelated to the futures of any of their players.
Chelsea director Marina Granovskaia: “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, he has the potential to become an important Chelsea player for many years to come.”
The deal comes just two days after Chelsea announced they had made a record £62m profit for the year ending June 30, 2018.
It is understood the winger also stressed he was happy to be loaned back to Dortmund in order to help the club win the Bundesliga.
Dortmund sporting director Michael Zorc said: “It was always Christian’s dream to play in the Premier League and as a result we were unable to extend his contract.
“Against this background, we have accepted an extremely lucrative bid by Chelsea, given the low contract maturity.”
Pulisic’s arrival will help Chelsea grow even more of a fanbase in America, where they have toured on several occasions in pre-season for more than a decade.
With Chelsea also enjoying a £60m-a-year shirt contract deal with American sportswear firm Nike, there is great potential for the club to benefit even more commercially.
