U.S. national soccer team player Christian Pulisic is heading to the English Premier League.
London-based team Chelsea signed the 20-year-old right winger from German side Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday for a fee of about $73 million.
The deal makes the Hershey, Pennsylvania-born athlete the most expensive American soccer player of all time. German-American player Jon Brooks previously held the record following his move from Hertha Berlin to Wolfsburg in 2017 for approximately $22 million.
Pulisic will have to wait several months to make his debut for Chelsea, however. He was immediately loaned back to Dortmund for the remainder of the 2018-2019 season.
“In summer I move on to Chelsea and to a new competition, the English Premier League,” Pulisic said in a statement shared on Chelsea’s website. “It’s a privilege to have signed for such a legendary club and I look forward to working hard towards being a contributor to their team of world class players.”
Chelsea director Marina Granovskaia said the club was “delighted” to have signed “one of Europe’s most sought-after players.”
“Christian has shown his quality during a fantastic spell in Germany and at just 20, we believe he has the potential to become an important Chelsea player for many years to come,” Granovskaia added.
Pulisic has represented the U.S. national team a total of 23 times, and scored nine goals. The world record for a soccer player transfer is held by Brazil’s Neymar, who signed for French side Paris Saint Germain from Spain’s Barcelona for about $226 million in 2017.