Chelsea consider selling Christian Pulisic amid interest from Premier League’s Manchester United, Newcastle and Arsenal

Prem trio chase Pulisic

Christian Pulisic has attracted the attention of multiple Premier League clubs after putting in a Player of the Match performance in United States’ 0-0 draw against England at the World Cup. The Mail report that Manchester United, Newcastle United and Arsenal all have Pulisic on their radars ahead of the January transfer window. The 24-year-old has just 18 months remaining on his contract at Chelsea and the Blues are considering the possibility of cashing in on Pulisic before the summer. Chelsea have slapped a £35-million price tag on the former Borussia Dortmund star.

Paper Round’s view: Pulisic’s £58-million transfer to Chelsea back in 2019 has not really worked out. The winger was rated very highly as a youngster at Dortmund, but he has failed to replicate that form at Stamford Bridge. It’s quite similar to Hakim Ziyech’s situation at Chelsea too. The pair haven’t really managed to get a consistent run of games, but we are seeing them shine at the 2022 World Cup. Obviously there’s a top-quality player in there so Chelsea should be careful about selling Pulisic to a Premier League rival.

How to make Messi feel at home

David Beckham is ready to sign three players for Inter Miami in a bid to ease Lionel Messi’s arrival if he were to join the MLS club. There were reports on Sunday afternoon that the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner is edging closer to a summer move to Inter Miami, who are co-owned by Beckham, when his contract at Paris Saint-Germain expires. Further reports have now revealed that Inter Miami are also hoping to sign Messi’s ex-teammates: Sergio Busquets, Cesc Fabregas and Luis Suarez, who will all be available as free agents in 2023.

Paper Round’s view: Is this the best way to build a successful team? Obviously adding Messi would be huge for Inter Miami and the MLS. But there is no real reason to sign the ageing trio of Busquets, Fabregas and Suarez. Messi is still able to compete at the top level, but the same can’t really be said for the others. Inter Miami should concentrate on building a young, exciting team around Messi instead of using a huge chunk of their wage budget to sign players who have played with the Argentine at some point of his career.

Chelsea eye World Cup wonderkid

Chelsea are ready to make a move for Bayer Leverkusen defender Piero Hincapie, who has been impressing with Ecuador at the World Cup in Qatar. The 20-year-old is highly-rated in the Bundesliga and has caught the attention of north London duo Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur. However, Chelsea are planning to pip their Premier League rivals to the signing of Hincapie. Graham Potter is keen to add a left-sided centre-back to his squad and the Mirror believe that Bayer Leverkusen are expecting bids as early as the January transfer window after crashing out of the Champions League.

Paper Round’s view: There’s something magical about how the World Cup accelerates transfers and inflates values. There are always players who are bought for huge fees off the back of a handful of impressive performances on the biggest stage in football, but it seems like Chelsea have been tracking Hincapie for a while. The club really need to add some depth to their defence after losing Antonio Rudiger to Real Madrid for free in the summer. Thiago Silva is still putting in world class performances for the Blues, but he is 38 years old now. Hincapie could be the answer to their problem – but he won’t come cheap after the World Cup.

Rashford’s redemption

Marcus Rashford has asserted his desire to take a penalty for England at the Qatar World Cup, despite missing for the Three Lions in the Euro 2020 final last summer. The Manchester United forward suffered a flurry of online racial abuse after the penalty shoot-out heartbreak but he is not going to back down if he is called upon once again this year. Rashford confirmed he has “no doubts about taking a penalty”.

Paper Round’s view: It’s great to see Rashford back in form and playing with confidence again. Obviously he doesn’t need to redeem himself – he stepped up to take a penalty in one of the biggest moments in England’s footballing history – but it would represent a huge moment for the 25-year-old if he were to score from the spot at the World Cup. Rashford is one of football’s good guys so it would be great to see him get his moment in Qatar.