As Chelsea came under a series of sanctions from the British government against boss Roman Abramovich, the squad of players suddenly changed.
A major component of the sanctions package against clubs is the contract freeze, where clubs are currently not allowed to sign new players, sell existing players, or sign new contracts with anyone on the team. This put the whole team in a state of chaos and all the players were basically trapped in the club.
Clearly, this legend has many avenues to choose from, including selling clubs, lifting or mitigating sanctions, or other government actions.
But in fact, Christian Pulisic was stuck at Stamford Bridge at a very untimely time.
How is Christian Pulisic's contract at Chelsea?
At the end of the season, Christian Pulisic extended his contract with Chelsea for two years until the summer of 2024.
In theory, this is the best time for the club to sell the player at the highest price or renew his contract. As it stands, Chelsea cannot do either with sanctions in place.
This put Presik in an awkward position for a career with ups and downs at Chelsea. He could move into next season with two years left on his contract, when Chelsea's ability to negotiate a final sale or renewal will be greatly diminished.
Can Chelsea sell or re-sign Christian Pulisic this summer?
For Chelsea, the only way to sell, buy or re-sign Pulisik – or any player – is to change. That could mean clubs being sold, the government lifting or easing sanctions, the end of the war in Ukraine, or some other change in the status quo.
The sanctions will end on May 30, but if nothing changes, they will almost certainly be extended.
So, as things stand, Chelsea are unlikely to make any changes to their current squad.
It also means that without any changes, players whose contracts expire, such as Antonio Rudiger, Cesar Azpilicueta and Andreas Christensen, will not be able to secure new contracts and will leave by default. As long as the sanctions remain, Chelsea cannot replace these players.
If sanctions are lifted, will Juventus take action against Priscík?
Given the importance of Pulisik's attacking role for Chelsea, the most likely scenario this summer will be a contract extension with Chelsea this summer, as the club do not want him to quietly approach the final year of his contract.
Still, after Chelsea's easy victory over Norwich without Presick, who fell ill before the game, the Blues are still likely to decide to leave the Americans.
According to the Italian publication Milan Sports Newspaper Juventus is following some chelsea players, including Pulisic. Jorginho appears to be the most desired player for Italy, but the Blues are unlikely to want to let go of the star midfielder.
However, seeing his U.S. teammate Weston McKenny thrive in Turin, Priscic may want to make a change. With two years left on his contract, the Americans could have a lot of influence over his final destination as Chelsea look to reap the most out of a potential sale, especially given Stamford Bridge's financial position.
However, all of this depends on the lifting or change of sanctions, as chelsea are not in a position to willingly change its list in any way in the current state.