HERSHEY, Pa. — Editor's note: The above video is from June 2021.
After 98 English Premier League appearances with Chelsea, Hershey native Christian Pulisic will have a new home with AC Milan.
Pulisic was in Italy on Wednesday to undergo a physical before officially signing a reported four-year deal.
Early reports have a transfer fee worth up to $24.2 million for the Pennsylvania native. The club upped its offer after an initial proposal of $14 million. Chelsea paid Borussia Dortmund over $60 million to acquire Pulisic in January of 2019.
The legendary Italian football club was not the only one interested in dealing for the player known as Captain America. Lyon made a higher offer to Chelsea for Pulisic, worth over $27 million, but the Dauphin County native favored AC Milan as his destination.
Since 2019, Pulisic scored 20 goals and notched nine assists for Chelsea. While with The Blues, he became the second American to score a hat-trick in an English Premier League match and helped Chelsea to a Champions League Final win in 2021, where he became the first American to ever play in the final.
A series of ankle and hamstring injuries, as well as a revolving door of managers, played a role in Pulisic's limited minutes further into his time at Stamford Bridge.
More and more, the midfielder found himself coming off the bench and this season he's 20th on the team in total minutes played with one goal and one assist.
Chelsea is getting ready to play a series of friendlies later this month in the United States, including a stop in Philadelphia. Now, they'll do it without their biggest American draw, in Pulisic.
One of the highest-profile American soccer stars on the planet, Pulisic, and AC Milan agreed to personal terms weeks ago. It was just a matter of getting a transfer deal done between Chelsea and AC Milan, who have had a good working relationship in the past.
Many sports analysts like the move for the 24-year-old as they believe his style of play will fit better in Serie A than in the English Premier League, as long as he can stay healthy.
The move not only benefits AC Milan by getting one of the top players in the world but landing one of the United State Men's National Team's stars also gives them a bigger footing in the American market.