Newcastle United target Christian Pulisic ‘wants to stay’ at Premier League rivals Chelsea despite being linked with an exit, according to Sky Sports reporter Florian Plettenberg.

The Lowdown: Monitored by the Magpies

The USA forward is close to entering the final 18 months of his contract at Stamford Bridge, and having not been offered a new deal, he has been attracting interest from elsewhere.

PIF made an initial enquiry for the American over the summer, and some outlets have recently suggested that the Magpies are still monitoring developments, although an update has now emerged which contradicts those reports.

The Latest: Plettenberg’s update

Taking to Twitter, Plettenberg denied all claims linking Newcastle to Pulisic by revealing that the player wants to fight for his place at Chelsea after the World Cup.

The Sky Sport reporter tweeted: “News #Pulisic: Rumours about Dortmund, United & Newcastle not hot. Been told that he wants to stay at #CFC in winter! He really tends to this plan. But: Talks could take place if he would receive a great and interesting offer after the World Cup. But it’s unlikely.”

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The Verdict: Blow for Howe

Newcastle missing out on Pulisic in January will come as a huge blow to Eddie Howe, who will have seen what the American is capable of since arriving in the top flight in 2019.

The 24-year-old has clocked up 47 goal contributions during his time at Chelsea and has the ability to operate in five different positions (Transfermarkt), which surely will have been a striking attribute to the Magpies boss .

Newcastle have got off to a flying start this season, so they should definitely be able to attract some big names in the winter, but it seems that they will now have to turn their attention to other targets following this fresh claim on Pulisic.