AC Milan
Milan Draw Line Under Christian Pulisic Transfer Speculation as Talks Continue
Milan label Christian Pulisic untouchable amid stalled talks; Romano says there are ‘zero’ contacts.
AC Milan have reportedly closed the door on outside approaches for Christian Pulisic even while formal contract talks remain unresolved. The United States captain’s current deal runs until June 2027 and negotiations over an extension have dominated much of 2025 without a definitive outcome.
Speaking on the Men in Blazers podcast, Fabrizio Romano said there are “zero” concrete contacts or negotiations between any Premier League side and Pulisic. Milan regard the forward as “the player at the moment,” one that is “untouchable.” Those assessments have limited the chance of a transfer this winter or next summer despite interest elsewhere.
Pulisic left Chelsea three years earlier and had been linked with Manchester United. He made 145 appearances for Chelsea and became the first American to play in and then win a Champions League final during his time with the club. Reports also placed Al Nassr in the picture, but he reportedly turned down the move and the chance to play with Cristiano Ronaldo to remain at Milan.
The club hopes that a new contract will remove any distraction while the team competes for the Italian title this season. “I expect Milan to return back to the table very soon and to try and offer him a better deal and to find a solution,” Romano said.
Pulisic has been productive since arriving at Milan in 2023, scoring 42 times in 115 appearances and helping the club secure last season’s Italian Super Cup for the first time since 2016. A fresh deal would likely include a material pay rise given his form and his status as USMNT captain.
For now, Milan appear determined to make the extension their priority and to deny suitors the opportunity to negotiate directly with a player they view as central to their ambitions. That stability would also clear focus ahead of Pulisic’s preparations for the 2026 World Cup.
AC Milan
Five Deadline-Day Transfers That Could Still Happen
Deadline Day could yet produce late moves: Mateta, Zirkzee, Durán, Diaby and Frattesi are candidates.
Deadline Day can still deliver late movement, even when midseason selling is difficult. With the January window closing, clubs remain capable of last-minute deals. Here are five players who, according to current reporting, could yet change clubs before the window slams shut.
Jean-Philippe Mateta has watched Michael Olise, Eberechi Eze and now Guéhi depart Crystal Palace since his rise to prominence and believes the time is right to make a move. Oliver Glasner kept Mateta out of his matchday squad on Sunday, as Palace drew 1–1 at Nottingham Forest, and the Frenchman is poised to join Milan on Deadline Day. Interest came from Nottingham Forest, but Mateta is thought to favour Serie A. The reported fee is £26 million ($35.6 million). As mitigation, Palace are bringing in Wolverhampton Wanderers striker Jørgen Strand Larsen.
Joshua Zirkzee has not played for Manchester United since Michael Carrick took the reins due to an injury, but the Dutch forward was back in the matchday squad against Fulham. He has two Premier League goals in 14 appearances this season. There has been talk of a return to Serie A, with Napoli and Roma linked, although Romelu Lukaku’s long-awaited comeback from injury has eased Napoli’s need for a centre forward. Zirkzee’s reaction to Benjamin Šeško’s winner on Sunday suggests he remains committed at Old Trafford, yet calls about his availability persist.
Jhon Durán left Aston Villa for Al Nassr in a £71 million ($89 million) deal after a strong start to 2024–25. He scored eight times in 13 Saudi Pro League matches before moving on loan to Fenerbahçe last summer. Durán has had less joy in Türkiye and speculation is growing about a return to the Premier League. Any move would require agreement with his parent club, and clubs including Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur have been linked.
Moussa Diaby has been mentioned as a possible Inter target despite not being an obvious fit for a 3-5-2. He impressed at Bayer Leverkusen, was less effective in one Premier League season and spent two years in the Saudi Pro League. Unai Emery was willing to cut ties after Al Ittihad offered a fee similar to what they paid in 2023. The Inter link looks unlikely, but Tottenham could be active late.
Inter are also struggling to sort a deal with Liverpool for Curtis Jones, which currently leaves Davide Frattesi set to remain in Milan until summer. An agreement in principle with Nottingham Forest exists, however, so if Inter pivot and bring someone in, Frattesi could be on his way to the Premier League.
AC Milan
Underappreciated Greats: Twenty Players Whose Work Was Often Overlooked
Twenty players whose decisive moments and sustained contributions have been consistently overlooked..
Every era rewards certain stars with lasting spotlight. This piece re-centres the conversation on players whose decisive moments and steady output deserved greater recognition.
Keylor Navas anchored Real Madrid’s run of three consecutive Champions League titles between 2016 and 2018 and later provided Paris Saint-Germain with dependable performances as they collected domestic trophies. Romelu Lukaku’s record — his country’s all-time leading goalscorer, more than 300 club goals across Belgium, England and Italy and trophies with multiple teams — is routinely judged more harshly than it should be.
Branislav Ivanović combined physicality with football intelligence, supplying precise crosses and a genuine goal threat; he helped Chelsea to three Premier League titles, three FA Cups and the Champions League, including a decisive header in the Europa League final in 2013. Adriano, for all the talk about his career’s what-ifs, was “one of the best players I have ever played with. He was a different animal. Nobody could stop him,” said Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
Mario Mandžukić delivered in the biggest moments — scoring the extra-time winner to send Croatia past England in the 2018 World Cup semifinals, netting in the final, and opening the scoring for Bayern in the 2013 Champions League final. James Milner, the Premier League’s most capped appearance-maker, has been a Premier League and Champions League winner and an adaptable presence at the top level.
Diego Milito’s brace sealed Inter’s 2009–10 Champions League triumph at the Santiago Bernabéu, yet his scant international tournament minutes feel unjust. Edin Džeko’s equaliser two minutes before Sergio Agüero’s title-sealing goal was crucial; the Bosnian amassed over 450 career goals across Germany, England and Italy.
Guti made 542 appearances for Real Madrid and helped the club to 15 trophies — three Champions League and five La Liga titles — though his output is often reduced to a single viral backheel assist. Ian Rush remains Liverpool’s top scorer with 346 goals and a record of domestic and European trophies in the 1980s and 1990s.
Elsewhere, Frank Rijkaard, Youri Djorkaeff, Bebeto and Romário, Steve Bruce (who, Neil Warnock said, would “die to get three points out there.”), Santi Cazorla, Olivier Giroud, Alessandro Costacurta, Juan Román Riquelme (for whom Louis van Gaal observed, “When we have the ball, we have the world’s best player. But when we lose the ball, we play with 10 men,”) and Matt Le Tissier all exemplify players whose influence has too often been marginalised in wider discussion.
