Giorgio Chiellini claims Christian Pulisic would be a 'fantastic' Juventus signing
LAFC defender Giorgio Chiellini has claimed United States international Christian Pulisic would be a 'fantastic' new addition for for his former club Juventus.
90min revealed last week that Juventus have informed Chelsea they would be open to receiving Pulisic as a makeweight in any deal involving Dutch international Matthijs de Ligt, whose asking price is believed to be in the €100m ($101.6m) region.
Our sources indicate that De Ligt is now more likely to join Bayern Munich, but that this wouldn't dampen Juve's interest in Pulisic - 90min understands the Old Lady are also keeping tabs on Chelsea's Italian midfielder Jorginho.
Should he make a move to Turin, Pulisic would link up with fellow USMNT star Weston McKennie. Chiellini - who recently left Juventus for MLS overall leaders LAFC - believes the 23-year-old winger would be a 'fantastic' option for his former club.
"Honestly, it's the first time I heard it, but I think Juventus needs some winger as Pulisic," Chiellini told ESPN's Futbol Americas show.
"Pulisic is very good, I think, when he starts from the side and comes inside, and with the injury of Chiesa -- he [will] surely still return, but not before September, and in the first months, surely he can play every game.
"With the [arrival] of Angel Di Maria, Pulisic could be the fantastic third winger for Juventus. He has improved year by year, he did a fantastic season in Chelsea."
'Beautiful' Weston McKennie could stay at Juventus for years to come
Chiellini had plenty of time to get to know Weston McKennie during their spell together with Juventus. The American has shocked many by becoming a key player under Max Allegri, thanks to his combination of goalscoring, defensive capabilities, and work rate.
Chiellini has heaped praise upon the American, backing him to be a long-term hit with the 36-time Italian champions.
"He's a beautiful player, really a good player who is improving," the veteran defender said.
"Physically he is fantastic, he is really strong and he runs all the match. And then the important thing, he scores many goals, and it's not easy to find a midfielder who scores so many goals as Weston.
"He is just 24, then surely he has to improve on the pass, on the playing 90 minutes and be on the zone for 90 minutes -- many times he decides too fast and he doesn't think too much about what he needs, but I love him and everyone in Juventus loves him, and, high up, he could stay many years at Juventus."