Dortmund dig heels in over Pulisic as Naby Keita-style deal is mooted

Borussia Dortmund are refusing to sell long-time Liverpool target Christian Pulisic this summer, according to a report.

The Daily Mail report that the German side are unwilling to let the USA starlet leave this summer with time running out to find a suitable replacement.

With Bayern Munich and Chelsea believed to be leading the chase for the 19-year-old midfielder, Dortmund “had shown a willingness to listen to offers” but have now decided a deal will not happen this summer.

Pulisic had two years left on his contract with the Bundesliga club and they were hoping to convince Pulisic to stay for the long term, as they do not want to face a repeat of the Robert Lewandowski scenario which saw them lose the striker for free to Bayern Munich after he ran down his contract.

But recently Sky Germany and Bild, claimed the USA international had turned down the chance to enter negotiations over a new deal at Dortmund.

And Liverpool have been tipped to strike an advanced deal just like they did with Naby Keita.

Guinean midfielder Keita finally joined the Reds in late June after Jurgen Klopp struck a deal with his then club, RB Leipzig, last summer, which saw the Merseysiders agree a fee up front with a ‘retainer’ on top.

German transfer expert Raphael Honigstein believes Liverpool may well try and lure Dortmund into a deal for Pulisic, which would go through in a year’s time.

Klopp is a long-term admirer of Pulisic, and ahead of the friendly with Dortmund last month he was asked about the player he managed at Dortmund.

“He has a contract at Dortmund, no? That’s the first problem,” said Klopp.

“I like Christian, I’ve known him since he was a kid. He’s still not really old, he’s a fantastic player, and it’s deserved people think highly of him in America. In Germany it’s the same.

“If he wants to play in England or whatever one day then for sure he has the chance to do so but he’s at a really good club for his development at this moment. It’s really good to be at a club where they know him already.”

The player’s father recently suggested the Premier League could be his next destination.

Speaking to Sky Sports, Mark Pulisic said: “There’s always change. You can think one thing, then you do it, and at the end of the day it wasn’t the right thing.

“Football is crazy. You have to go with the flow and make sure the player feels comfortable, whatever the decision is. There’s no magic formula. Is it right to stay at Dortmund? Who knows. Is it right to move to another club? He might think it is, or someone else might think it is, but it might not be in the player’s mind.

“The only thing we can do is continue to talk with him and make sure he’s always in the loop of what’s going on, present all the facts and the content of what can happen, or will happen. It’s up to the player to make that final call.

“The Premier League is a league where he’s always aspired to be in and play in. As a player nowadays, there are so few players staying at one club throughout a career, the chances of him moving to different clubs and leagues is a high probability.”