The 17-year-old Borussia Dortmund and US national team attacker was reportedly the subject of an £11 million bid from Liverpool during the final week of the summer transfer window.
US national team head coach Jurgen Klinsmann has told Sports Illustrated that he believes Christian Pulisic would not necessarily have been better served by leaving Borussia Dortmund for Liverpool this past summer.
Pulisic, 17, is widely regarded as one of the top prospects in European club football after enjoying a breakout season at Dortmund last term, but the signings of Andre Schurrle, Mario Gotze, Ousmane Dembele and Emre Mor over the summer threw the American attacker’s future with the German side into considerable doubt.
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp had reportedly been keeping close tabs on the promising playmaker beforehand after working with him during his final season at the Westfalenstadion, and reports last week claimed that the Reds had lodged an £11 million bid to lure him to Anfield [h/t Telegraph].
Stoke City were also said to be interested in signing the US international during the final days of the transfer window [h/t Bild], but Dortmund still see him as an important part of their plans for the future and refused to entertain offers.
He now faces a fight for first-team minutes this term, but Klinsmann insists that the teenager will ultimately benefit from the stability of staying with the Bundesliga outfit at this early stage of his career.
“I think especially in the early stage of your career you need to have the feeling that you can be grounded at a certain place,” Klinsmann told si.com. “Wherever you decide to start your professional career, that environment needs to be a foundation of what comes hopefully for many years in the future.
“His foundation is Borussia Dortmund. So to work his way through there is very important. Not to say running away, but to say OK, there’s another big club that wants me, maybe it’s better for me because my club just bought three players in my position, blah blah blah. I think you have to learn in the first three or four years of a young career how to work yourself through the system.
“If Christian plays next week for the Under-19 at Dortmund, I’m happy,” Klinsmann continued. “If he plays for the Under-23s in the fourth division, I’m happy, as long as he’s getting minutes and learns and has the guidance of the older players and the coach there.
“But he needs to have a home. He needs to settle somewhere. It always depends on every character as well how you’re made, but I think it’s important that you have that foundation to start with.”
Pulisic, who hails from Hersey, Pennsylvania, officially joined Dortmund in February 2015 after acquiring a Croatian passport and made 12 total appearances for Thomas Tuchel’s side over the second half of last season after breaking into the first-team setup.
The highly-rated American became the youngster player in Bundesliga history to record two goals when he scored in back-to-back games in April, while he has also earned six USA caps since making his senior international debut in March.
His goal in May’s 4-0 friendly win over Bolivia made him the youngster player ever to score for the States in the modern era, and he proceeded to further underline his promise with a handful of bright cameos during the team’s run to the Copa America Centenario semi-finals.
His current contract with Dortmund runs for three more seasons, but having turned down the offer of a new deal earlier this year, Liverpool are reportedly planning to keep a very close eye on him going forward [h/t Liverpool Echo].
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