Arne Slot has suffered a blow in his hopes of signing Christian Pulisic as AC Milan are set to hand the American a new contract.
Pulisic had emerged as a target for Liverpool in January as they look to strengthen their squad for the Premier League title challenge. The 26-year-old has impressed for Milan since joining from Chelsea in the summer of 2023.
He scored eight goals and provided six assists in all competitions in what was a difficult season for the Rossoneri. They sit eighth in Serie A, eight points behind the Champions League qualifying places.
His performances in their tough campaign caught the attention of Liverpool. Pulisic has two years left on his contract, plus a club option for a further 12 months, but that has not deterred the Reds.
But it appears Milan are taking steps to stave off that interest from the Premier League leaders. According to Calciomercato, Pulisic is highly regarded by San Siro leaders.
Over the past two months, Milan have been working to get their star players new contracts on better terms. Pulisic is the next man on their list, with the American set to receive a pay rise of almost £1million per year.
For his part, Pulisic will be 'fully immersed' in his Milan adventure and focus on winning trophies with the legendary giants. Liverpool's interest appears to have prompted the new bid, with the deal set to make it 'increasingly difficult' for the Reds to buy him.
The news will be a blow for Slot, who only saw Federico Chiesa arrive last summer. The Liverpool boss has already hinted he will urge club chiefs to take charge next month.
“Bringing in players is always a process of making the smart decision,” he said. “If what you say is true (Jurgen Klopp didn't sign anyone of significance in the summer of 2019 before winning the title), the owners might be thinking: 'OK, the best thing to do is not to sign any players!'
“Maybe I should be happy with how Chelsea are doing at the moment, that I can say to the owners: 'Yes, but if you bring in £1.2 billion, it is also an opportunity to be successful!' There is not just one way, which makes this ranking interesting.
“There is one team that has done nothing this summer, except Chiesa, who has not played much yet, and one team that has spent a lot (exhales) and is also successful. It makes it interesting that there are different ways to be successful.
“It's also fun and it's also an identity to first look at your players and your training and see what that brings. That's what makes football such an entertaining world where you can be successful in different ways. I think it's for everyone is good that we are currently competing there.”
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