Chelsea exodus SWELLS after Mount departure

Tom Hancock

• 7 Jul 2023 03:27 CDT
• 3 min read

Chelsea’s summer clear-out is set to continue, with Christian Pulisic poised to follow Mason Mount and Cesar Azpilicueta out the Stamford Bridge exit door.

Club captain Azpilicueta bid a tearful farewell to the Blues on Thursday (July 6) as he completed a move to Atletico Madrid – the day after Mount joined Manchester United for an initial £55m.

And Pulisic, whose future has been the subject of intense speculation since the turn of the year, looks set to be the next to leave.

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The Athletic reported earlier this week that AC Milan have tabled two bids for the USA captain – the second of them worth as much as €22m (almost £20m) with Lyon also keen.

Pulisic, 24 who joined Chelsea from Borussia Dortmund back in 2019 – is said to favour a switch to Serie A.

It’s been a frustrating 12 months for the midfielder – who featured 24 times in the Premier League last season but made only eight starts as the Blues went through three managers and slumped to their worst league finish since 1994.

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Pulisic's pain

Speaking to ESPN last month while on international duty at the CONCACAF Gold Cup, Pulisic – who captained the USA to the last 16 of the 2022 World Cup – explained how difficult he found the experience. He said: “It's been a really tough season for me personally and for our team, of course, at a club level.

“So, for me it's just about coming in here [to the national squad] and having a fresh start and being able to be a part of a team that, hopefully, can come out and win some games. So, I'm really excited to be here and just to get some minutes on the field and just get back to being that confident player that I know I can be and just find my footing again and just enjoying the game because it feels like it's been tough to do that lately.

“Obviously, it's been an interesting journey at club level for me. I thought it was a great couple [of] years and the last couple years just haven't gone at all how I've planned them to be.”