USMNT rumors: Balogun for England, Pulisic to leave Chelsea, Pepi to Ajax

Today’s USMNT rumors and news includes reports that Folarin Balogun is set to get a call-up for England, Christian Pulisic is set to leave Chelsea and Ajax have joined the race for Ricardo Pepi.

USMNT rumors: Folarin Balogun for England

It had been suspected that Folarin Balogun was about to switch his international allegiance from England to the United States. The player who is on loan at Reams from Arsenal withdrew from the last England U21 squad and was then seen in Orlando where the USMNT were training.

The caretaker head coach for the Stars and Stripes, Anthony Hudson, revealed that they were talking to him. However, it now appears that Balougn might not be done with the Three Lions just yet. Edgar Moreno reported that “A source is saying that Flo Balogun will receive a call-up from the English national team for June. The USMNT is expected to make a push for a call-up as well for the same window.”

With Balogun being heavily courted by U.S. Soccer, many fans might be disappointed if he does appear for England. Although, the player has a difficult decision to make. He was born in the USA but grew up in England and has played for their national team all the way up to U21 level.

From a soccer perspective, with the USMNT he would be their best forward and would start most games. England has many options when it comes to strikers, most notably Harry Kane who is now the country’s all-time top goalscorer.

USMNT rumors: Christian Pulisic to leave Chelsea

Christian Pulisic’s game time at Chelsea has been very limited lately, so it is no surprise that he has been linked with other teams in the Premier League, as well as clubs in Italy, Germany and Spain. A glimmer of hope for the American at Stamford Bridge is that Mauricio Pochettino is set to take charge for next season.

The Argentine might want to give Pulisic a chance but he has now had limited game time with many Blues managers including Thomas Tuchel, Graham Potter and Frank Lampard. Therefore, it might be best for Pulisic to move on and start afresh at a club where he can play regularly.

Fabrizio Romano was asked about Pulisic at Chelsea on CBS Sports Golazo and said, “I think he’s going to leave the club.” However, the transfer expert did not confirm any of the rumors about Napoli or Juventus.

USMNT rumors: Ricardo Pepi to Ajax

Ricardo Pepi’s loan at Groningen from Augsburg expires at the end of this season and there has been a lot of speculation about his next move. There were recent reports that Lazio is interested but also rumors of him staying in the Eredivisie with PSV Eindhoven or Feyenoord.

It now appears that another Dutch club is also in for the USMNT forward. Ekrem Konur has revealed that “Ajax are monitoring the situation of Augsburg’s 20-year-old striker Ricardo Pepi, who plays on loan at Groningen.”

A move to either Ajax, PSV or Feyenoord would be a step up for Pepi, whose Groningen side has now been relegated from the Eredivisie. However, a move to Lazio would be more ambitious as they play in Serie A, which is one of Europe’s top five leagues.