Christian Pulisic to New York City FC: The state of play as CEO confirms interest

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Tom Weber | Writer

Multilingual sports writer who specialises in European football and American soccer.

New York City FC CEO Brad Sims has confirmed that he would love to sign AC Milan star Christian Pulisic - but so would the other 29 CEOs in Major League Soccer.

The United States men's national team attacker is coming off a disappointing World Cup on home soil. Pulisic has been the golden boy of US Soccer since his emergence in 2016, but he struggled physically and mentally at this summer's tournament.

Heading into the World Cup, the 27-year-old had scored one goal in all of 2026 - against Senegal in a warm-up friendly for the tournament - and his indifferent form continued when it mattered most.

Although he had some nice moments, he was outshone by Folarin Balogun, who emerged as the USMNT's real attacking focal point. Of course, Pulisic wasn't helped by the fact that he got injured in the opener against Paraguay and spent the rest of the tournament playing catch-up.

Still, fans and neutrals expected a lot more from "Captain America" in his World Cup. Instead of inspiring the team when they needed a leader, Pulisic was anonymous in the disastrous 4-1 loss to Belgium that saw the US crash out in the round of 16.

Will Pulisic move to MLS this summer?

Because of his genuinely awful six months for AC Milan in the build-up to the World Cup, it was rumoured that he could leave the club this summer as part of the huge clear-out that will make the team look unrecognisable next season.

Pulisic, with his zero goals, certainly had a part to play in the Rossoneri surrendering their place in the Champions League on the final matchday of the Serie A season after repeated lacklustre performances.

A move to MLS was mooted, and during the World Cup, reports in Italy, later confirmed by The Athletic, revealed that there is genuine interest from clubs in the States in signing Pulisic.

This wasn't entirely surprising. Ahead of the World Cup, it was thought that we could see his triumphant homecoming this year. Fresh off an impressive tournament, his arrival in MLS at peak age would catalyse the league's breakthrough into the mainstream of American sports culture.

Or so the thinking went - and it was evidently wishful thinking. Not only did the USMNT and Pulisic squander much of the previously accrued goodwill with their pathetic Belgium performances, but MLS is also facing criticism for failing to adequately advertise itself during the World Cup.

By all accounts, clubs have done a much better job at promoting the league than MLS itself, but it remains to be seen if there will be a tangible World Cup bounce. MLS's return to play certainly hasn't quite gone to plan, that's for sure.

Robert Lewandowski's grand Chicago Fire debut against former teammate Thomas Muller and his Vancouver Whitecaps had to be postponed because of the Canadian wildfires, the Seattle Sounders immediately repelled local soccer newbies by shipping five goals at home to hated rivals Portland and Real Salt Lake were tarred and feathered by former NFL star JJ Watt on social media.

What about Pulisic? Is he at least joining MLS? Probably not. At least not this summer. When reports of MLS interest first emerged, NYCFC were explicitly named as potential suitors, but it quickly became clear that pulling off a transfer would be a longshot.

AC Milan don't want to sell this summer, so it would surely take a league-record-shattering fee to strike a deal. Consequently, a move simply doesn't appear to be financially feasible for most, if not all, MLS clubs when combined with his salary.

This has been effectively confirmed by NYCFC CEO Brad Sims. Speaking to amNewYork, he admitted that he would obviously jump at the opportunity to sign Pulisic, but the deal is effectively "dead in the water" as long as Milan refuse to play along.

"Ultimately, we’re believers that Christian is going to want to play in MLS, wants to be back home," Sims said. "At whatever point in time that is, we would think and hope that New York City FC would be very high on his list of teams that he would want to play for.

"To be able to get that done, if AC Milan doesn’t want to give him up, then it’s dead in the water."

Sims added that NYCFC's interest shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone because every other club in MLS is surely also keen to be the one that brings Pulisic home.

"If you ask any of my 29 counterparts across the league if they would be interested in having Christian Pulisic on their team, I’m pretty sure you’d get 29 yeses," the NYCFC CEO noted.

"It’s an easy question to answer from that regard. Would we love to have him? Yes. Would any team in MLS love to have him? I’m pretty sure the answer to that would be yes. Would MLS, from a league standpoint, love to have Christian Pulisic here? I think that answer would be yes."

A lot can still happen this summer, of course, and MLS's extension of its secondary transfer window ahead of the 2027 calendar shift could stand it in good stead in this regard. With the window now open until 2 September, there could be a flurry of late movement.

Pulisic may be untouchable right now, but who is to say that Milan's stance won't change over the course of the summer, depending on their business? Patience could be a virtue for MLS clubs.

And if a move doesn't materialise this summer, then it surely will at some point in the future. The consensus among pundits seems to be that Pulisic will play in MLS before he retires.

His current AC Milan contract expires in 2027, but there is a club option for a further season. This means that there is no guarantee that he will be available next year, nor is there a guarantee that he is even receptive to MLS interest at 27.

It is difficult to imagine that Pulisic doesn't still have European ambitions at his age. That said, becoming the face of a club like NYCFC, who are set to open up Etihad Park in Queens next year, will also hold appeal.

As things stand, a transfer is unlikely, but the interest in him isn't going away, and MLS clubs will surely look to pounce on the first possible opening they get.

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Tom Weber | Writer

Tom Weber is an experienced, multilingual sports writer who specialises in European football and American soccer as part of his freelance work for FootballTransfers.

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