Manchester United are set to battle Arsenal and Newcastle for the signing of Christian Pulisic this winter.
That’s according to The Daily Mail, who claims that Chelsea could ditch the USA star when he enters the final eighteen months of his contract.
The left winger was the subject of an investigation by the Red Devils in August when Erik ten Hag was looking to bolster his attacking options.
United did not pursue their interest in that window, but with the team out of attacking options, a move in January could well be on the cards.
While United have Jadon Sancho, Marcus Rashford and youngster Alejandro Garnacho for the left side of their attacking trident, it can be argued that Pulisic could improve the side.
Rashford has been needed at striker this term, with Anthony Martial, now United’s only natural centre-forward, often struggling for form.
Sancho started the season in decent form but fell off as soon as he had the left wing to himself, perhaps suggesting that the former Dortmund man needs competition to flourish. He would probably also benefit from the freedom to play in central areas on occasion, which another winger could provide.
Garnacho has made a good start to his senior career, but at the tender age of 18, it would be unfair to saddle him with too much responsibility at this stage of his development.
A reasonable deal for Pulisic, who is set to be available for around £35m, could add some much-needed depth to United’s attack, with Ten Hag publicly lamenting his lack of attacking options on numerous occasions.
However, with other Premier League clubs interested in the Chelsea winger, United are unlikely to want to get involved in a bidding war when other positions are sorely needed.
Chief among them is the aforementioned role of center forward. Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure from the club has only worsened what was already a difficult situation from the start.
Notably, United also have only one left-footed attacker in their team in the summer signing of Antony.
Signing Christian Pulisic wouldn’t solve any of these problems, but if United struggle to sign their priority targets in the historically difficult winter transfer window, they may turn to the dynamic wing-man to bolster their attack.
If he were available on loan, as Mark Ogden reported, a deal would look much more attractive to Manchester United, who overspent in the summer.
