Chelsea complete £58m Christian Pulisic signing

Chelsea have completed the signing of Borussia Dortmund attacker Christian Pulisic, for a fee of £58m.

The 20-year-old will be loaned back to Dortmund for the rest of the season, before joining the Blues squad ahead of the 2019/20 season.

Pulisic’s Dortmund contract was due to expire in 18 months and has signed a five-and-a-half-year deal with the Premier League club.

The US international can play on either wing, or behind the striker, and has scored three goals in 18 appearances for the Bundesliga leaders this season.

Pulisic said that he will leave Dortmund with a “heavy heart” in a statement on Twitter.

“It feels like only yesterday that I arrived in Dortmund as a raw, excited, very nervous but exceptionally proud 16-year-old from a small American town called Hershey,” he said.

“I would not be here without the club and their belief in giving young players a chance. Many memorable moments stand out – to have experienced all of them before my 20th birthday, still feels at times like a dream.

“For the next six months, it’s all BVB. Please do not doubt my passion, determination and my 110% commitment to the team right until the last ball is kicked this season.”

Liebe Borussen 🖤💛 (🇺🇸🇬🇧) pic.twitter.com/nAKgF1sHdI

— Christian Pulisic (@cpulisic_10) January 2, 2019

“It was always Christian’s dream to play in the Premier League,” Dortmund director Michael Zorc told reporters.

“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.”

Pulisic becomes the first major Premier League signing of the January transfer window, and the most expensive American player in history, ahead of the €20m fee paid by Wolfsburg for John Brooks in 2017.