On the night between Tuesday and Wednesday, Christian Pulisic watched from thousands of miles away as the United States defeated Chile in a friendly match. The other Rossoneri player on duty with head coach Mauricio Pochettino, Yunus Musah, spent all 90 minutes on the bench. It was a highly unusual situation, as 'Captain America' is not accustomed to missing matches for his national team.
This, however, is a particular moment in Pulisic’s season. He had left the U.S. camp after the World Cup defeat to Belgium on July 7, a match in which he also suffered a serious injury that prevented him from taking part in Milan’s pre-season preparations. Chris only returned to training with the team during the week in which Serie A got underway, immediately making the bench in Turin on August 23. He had to wait until September 12 for his first appearance, when Ruben Amorim threw him on at half-time in an attempt to turn the game around against Lazio, as pointed out via Gazzetta dello Sport in this morning's print edition.
At the Stadio Olimpico, Pulisic played his part in Milan’s comeback from 2–0 down to 2–2 by providing an assist. The following week, he finally ended his long scoring drought by finding the net in Lecce for his first goal of 2026 in a Milan shirt. In agreement with Milan and the U.S. Soccer Federation, the American nevertheless decided to turn down his latest national-team call-up so that he could remain at Milanello and continue working. The objective is shared by everyone involved: Chris needs to put the first eight months of 2026 behind him and rediscover the 'Captain America' form he has shown throughout his years in Milan.
The contract
In the background, the issue of a contract renewal remains. A year and a half ago, an agreement seemed to be just one step away. Then came the slowdown and the stalemate. Pulisic’s current deal with Milan expires on June 30, 2027, although the club has an option to extend it by a further season.
In fact, Gerry Cardinale would like the relationship to continue well beyond that point, ideally until at least 2031, as he would with the rest of the squad’s leading players, such as Rabiot, particularly if Chris can confirm the level of performance he showed against Lecce. Milan certainly believes and hopes he can.
In the meantime, though, Pulisic’s own demands may have changed. When the two sides came close to shaking hands on a deal in 2025, Milan’s offer was reportedly worth around €5 million net per year. Now speculation is mounting that, as the American gets closer to the end of his contract, he could also ask for more.
Staying together
Of course, everything ultimately depends on performances on the pitch. The Pulisic of recent months would hardly be in a position to dictate terms in contract negotiations. But if Christian were to become the team’s driving force again, as he had been for much of his previous time at the club, Cardinale would not find it easy to let him go.
There is also another factor: 'Captain America' is the face of RedBird’s Milan in the United States. As mentioned, the intention of the owner of the fund behind the Rossoneri is to keep all of the club’s top players. That is why Cardinale is already working on two other fronts: Serbian defender Strahinja Pavlovic and French midfielder Adrien Rabiot.
For the Serbian defender, the plan is to offer a contract extension through 2031 while doubling his salary, from €1.7 million to around €3.5 million per season. As for the French midfielder, the proposal currently under consideration is expected to focus less on the expiration date of his contract and more on his salary, since Rabiot currently earns €3.5 million a year, a figure considered decidedly low by his usual standards.
