Christian Pulisic says it would be ‘great’ to play alongside Eden Hazard at Chelsea despite the rumours linking the Belgian with a lucrative move to Real Madrid.
Hazard, 28, appears poised to move to the Bernabeu with the Blues reportedly willing to sell him for £87million this summer.
Chelsea acted in January by signing Pulisic from Borussia Dortmund for next season in a deal thought to be in the region of £58m.
It’s been suggested the American international was bought in preparation for Hazard’s departure but Pulisic maintains some hope that he will play alongside Chelsea’s star player.
Speaking to talkSPORT’s James Savundra in London, Pulisic said: “I think anyone can play alongside him [Hazard], he’s a great player. It would be great to play with him absolutely. I’m going to come in and give it my best.
“I’ve been able to see on the TV what he’s done and he’s obviously a great player.”
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Hazard’s move to Real Madrid this summer appears inevitable
When the Pulisic transfer was confirmed in January, Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri claimed to have no knowledge of the deal until it was announced publicly by the club.
But Sarri’s 4-3-3 system should cater well to winger Pulisic’s strengths and the 20-year-old believes his and the Italian’s styles are a ‘great fit’.
Pulisic added: “Chelsea was a place I just couldn’t refuse. I watched Chelsea growing up and saw them have success in Europe and I always think of the team as champions.
“I’ve always wanted to play in the Premier League and it feels like the perfect spot for me.
“I want to come in and make an impact as soon as I can. I’m going to work as hard as I can from day one to make sure I can do that.
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Pulisic believes he will fit in well at Chelsea
“I think I’m going to fit in very well [into Sarri’s system]. It’s a very attacking system which will work great for me, on the wings and in great attacking positions. I think it’s a great fit.”
Pulisic arrives at Stamford Bridge knowing he will play Champions League football next season following Chelsea’s third-place finish in the Premier League last season.
There were a lot of negative moments in the 2018/19 campaign and Chelsea finished 26 points off title winners Manchester City and 25 points off runners-up Liverpool.
However, Pulisic believes there’s no reason why his new club can’t challenge for the crown next season.
He said: “People can say what they want but Chelsea had a great end to the season. They’re in the Europa League final and they finished in the Champions League spots for next season.
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“Yeah absolutely, that’s our goal [to challenge for the Premier League title]. I think Chelsea is a very confident group and I’m a very confident guy and if we go in with a great attitude there’s no reason why we shouldn’t be able to.
Pulisic leaves an exciting Dortmund side that took Bayern Munich all the way in the race for the Bundesliga title last season but the Bavarians won their seventh consecutive title on the final day last weekend.
Among Pulisic’s former team-mates are England youngster Jadon Sancho, 19, who enjoyed a breakthrough season at Dortmund – scoring 13 goals and supplying 15 assists in all competitions in 2018/19.
And Pulisic believes Three Lions fans should be excited about what the former Manchester City player can offer in the future.
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USA international Pulisic played against England’s Sancho during a friendly at Wembley in November
Pulisic added: “I guess there are lots of great people at Dortmund supporting you from day one. They’ve trusted me all the way and they’ve trusted a lot of young players. It’s a great place to develop.
“[Sancho]. He’s a great player and it’s been amazing to play with him. Playing on the wings with him have been a very exciting time. I can understand why a lot of the English fans are excited. They should be.”
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