Report: Manchester United and Liverpool both interested in signing Christian Pulisic this summer

Christian Pulisic is a hot commodity. He’s one of the most talented teenagers in Germany, and he represents a marketing boon in terms of interest coming from the United States.

So it’s not surprising that he’s once again being linked with a transfer to the Premier League. The latest story is one from the Independent, which claims that Manchester United and Liverpool are set to do battle for the 19-year-old this summer.

Manchester United are willing to strongly challenge Liverpool if the Anfield club go in for Borussia Dortmund’s Christian Pulisic in the summer, as the American talent has emerged as a big target for the Old Trafford hierarchy.

While the 19-year-old attacker is obviously seen as an excellent football signing in his own right and fill a hole for Jose Mourinho’s side, an extra angle is the view that talent could well make him the USA’s first megastar in the sport, with all of the commercial value that will bring. United’s marketing side would see him as another Paul Pogba in that regard, as do many other suitors.

Liverpool are expected to make a move for Pulisic in the summer window, though, with Jurgen Klopp a huge admirer of his former club’s player.

United are almost more of a brand than they are a football club now. Even if Dortmund’s asking price is steep, the Red Devils would have enough to get the deal done.

It’s a deal that would make sense for them, but not really for Pulisic. There are plenty of recent cautionary tales about young talents moving to Manchester United too early and stifling their development. Henrikh Mkhitaryan isn’t that young, but his struggles at Old Trafford should significantly dissuade Pulisic from making this move too early. Playing for Jose Mourinho is a big adjustment that can sometimes go horribly wrong for a player.

Pulisic will leave Dortmund one day, but the club should do everything they can do convince the American that this summer is too early for him to make that jump. He has become an important part of BVB’s team, and should be equally as important to the new project that will be started by whomever Dortmund’s new manager is this summer.

Liverpool’s interest is not a new story at all, but again it still seems too early to make a move. Would Pulisic really get significant action over the likes of Sadio Mané, Mohamed Salah, or Roberto Firmino?

The encouraging thing for BVB fans is that Pulisic has a good head on his shoulders and a strong support group. His Dad is his main adviser and certainly realizes that the best thing for his development right now is to stay. At Dortmund he gets ample playing time that allows him to learn and grow as a player. Would that really be the case at Manchester United or Liverpool?