LIVERPOOL, Chelsea and Arsenal are battling it out to sign Borussia Dortmund star Christian Pulisic.
Arsenal have already had a £35million bid rejected, while SunSport understands Liverpool are leading the race with a £45m January offer.
Reports in Germany claim Chelsea will sign the American in the summer.
But whichever Prem giant lands the coveted 20-year-old, they will owe a major debt of gratitude to non-League Brackley Town.
It was there that the American star spent a year of his childhood – and where he developed his love for football.
Pulisic was brought up in Pennsylvania but when he was seven his mother, Kelley, got the chance to move to the UK on a teaching exchange in 2005.
The family ended up in Tackley, a small village eight miles north of Oxford.
Aged seven, Pulisic discovered his love of the beautiful game and joined the local club, Brackley Town, whose men’s team were playing in the Southern League at the time – the seventh tier of the English football system.
Pulisic, who comes from a family of footballers, had already started to play in the US, but it with the Northamptonshire club where his love of the game grew.
“A lot of people don’t realise but it really brought on my passion for the game,” Pulisic told the Daily Mail in 2016.
“After school every day, I was just out for hours in the park, playing with my schoolmates.
“That’s really where my love for the game started to come alive and that was a big part of my development.
“I just started to love it so much and I said: “Wow. I’m pretty good! I think I can do something with this game.”
Dad Mark told Sky Sports: “We were football crazy.
“We travelled all over and took in all the nuances of what English football is: the craziness outside the stadiums, the chanting inside and signing the songs.
“Christian remembers it to this day. For sure it had an impact in the short time we were there.”
The family went on trips to Anfield, Old Trafford and White Hart Lane during their year in blighty.
After returning to the US, Pulisic continued to develop and became a jewel in the crown of the American system.
By 13 he was starring in the American U15 team, scoring 21 goals in 28 matches.
But his family always knew the talented teen had to be in Europe if he was to reach his potential.
At 15, his father Mark turned down the chance for Pulisic to join Barcelona’s famed La Masia academy, deciding to join Borussia Dortmund instead.
Mark told The Guardian: “When he was 15 and playing in the national sides, he realised he had to make the move quickly for the development of his game.
“Once, as parents, we felt he was ready and it was something he wanted, we went to visit Dortmund.
“All of us decided we felt it was the right move and the club was great with us, so we took the plunge. You have to go with your gut feeling.”
Mark was just one of a long line of footballers in the Pulisic family.
Both Mark and Kelley had played at the collegiate level in for George Mason University – with Mark going on to play professional indoor soccer for the Harrisburg Heat.
Mark would also later coach the indoor club Detroit Ignition.
His cousin Will is a goalkeeper and has played for both Borussia Dortmund and USA youth teams – he is currently at the prestigious Duke University.
At 17 Pulisic had burst into the Borussia Dortmund first-team.
After scoring 10 goals and eight assists in 15 matches for the youth team, he was brought into the senior squad in January 2016.
He scored his first Bundesliga goal in April and, at 17 years and 212 days, became the youngest ever non-German to score in the division and the fourth-youngest overall.
Later that month he became the youngest player to score two goals in a single Bundesliga game.
Records also tumbled on the international stage.
Pulisic had made his USA debut in March 2016 and became the youngest American to score in a World Cup qualifier.
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He scored five goals for Dortmund last season and the season before, although this season he has seen his playing time cut.
Jadon Sancho has won some of Pulisic’s playing time with his blistering form, while the American has also struggled with a couple of injuries.
It now means that Dortmund are willing to sell the 20-year-old.
Whether he ends up playing for Jurgen Klopp, Unai Emery or Maurizio Sarri, each of them should be sure to say a small thank you to Brackley Town.
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News Pictures Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool target Christian Pulisic spent a year at Brackley Town before becoming a star at Borussia Dortmund
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kim cattrall
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