After a year-and-a-half saga, Christian Pulisic and AC Milan are reportedly inching toward an agreement to extend his contract through 2031.
Pulisic, whose current deal with the Rossoneri expires at the end of this season, looked close to extending his stay at San Siro back in March 2025. But negotiations, which were promising at the time, stretched on and on without a new deal struck.
A drastic drop in form and a forgetful, injury-marred World Cup did Pulisic no favors at the negotiation table. Suddenly, it looked like the American’s time at Milan could be coming to an end, especially after new manager Ruben Amorim kept him on the bench for the team’s first three matches of 2026–27.
Despite Pulisic’s recent shortcomings, Milan are invested in the 28-year-old. Italian outlet Gazzetta dello Sport report the club “would like” the forward to extend his deal through 2031.
The Rossoneri want to “retain” their star player “well beyond” his current contract, which comes with the option to extend for another season.
New ‘Demands’ Could Stall Progress Yet Again
Despite Milan’s desire to lock Pulisic down, talks could once again reach an impasse. The report claims the U.S. men’s national team star has changed his “demands” this time around.
During negotiations in 2025, Milan offered Pulisic €5 million ($5.6 million) net per year. The two parties “came close to a handshake” with that amount in place.
Fast forward a year and Pulisic is reportedly “making higher demands” as his current contract nears its expiration. The potential new amount he has in mind is unknown, but it could be the reason the forward’s contract talks are still ongoing after 19 months.
Pulisic has his previous form to lean on if he is indeed demanding a higher salary. In his first two seasons at Milan, he tallied 53 goal contributions across all competitions. He also played a pivotal role in the club’s Italian Super Cup triumph back in January 2025.
But his recent woes give Milan plenty of ammunition to use against him.
• NEXT: The Curious Case of Christian Pulisic: From American Phenom to USMNT Outcast
Pulisic in Desperate Need of a Bounce Back Season
Countless things went wrong for Pulisic last season. The 28-year-old started 2025–26 in top form, tallying 10 goals and two assists over the first half of the campaign despite fitness woes. Then the calendar flipped to 2026 and he looked like a shell of himself.
Pulisic did not score a single goal in the next five months, losing his place in Milan’s XI. All he had to his name in 2026 were three assists.
The World Cup provided the perfect backdrop to get back to scoring ways, but Pulisic was largely anonymous on home soil, recording just one assist in four appearances. A microfracture in his lower leg didn’t help matters.
Then comes Amorim, now leading Milan after he was dismissed from Manchester United, and the Portuguese boss seemed rather uninterested in giving Pulisic any minutes. Throw in Mauricio Pochettino not calling up the American for the USMNT’s fall friendlies and it was looking incredibly bleak for Pulisic.
He has since broken into Amorim’s squad and finally found the back of the net for the Rossoneri for the first time since December 2025. But he will need to show it was not just a one-off if he wants Milan to agree to his reported increased demands after such a damning stretch of form for both club and country.
READ THE LATEST USMNT NEWS, ANALYSIS AND INSIGHT FROM SI FC
- The Curious Case of Sebastian Berhalter: From Almost Quitting to USMNT Stardom
- From Ancelotti to Zidane: How Wages of International Soccer’s Biggest Managers Compare
- USMNT Star Cavan Sullivan Beats Out Lionel Messi to Rewrite MLS Record Books
- USMNT World Cup Star Makes Long-Awaited Return to Philadelphia Union
