Fresh twist on Conor Gallagher's Chelsea future as transfer saga reaches impasse

Chelsea might be forced to lower their asking price for captain Conor Gallagher as Atletico Madrid play hardball in their pursuit of the England midfielder.

Gallagher was one of the success stories of a turbulent 2023/24 season under Mauricio Pochettino at Stamford Bridge and won a place in Gareth Southgate’s England squad for Euro 2024.

However, Gallagher’s value as a sellable asset at Chelsea is significant in the Premier League’s PSR age. As a product of the club’s Cobham Academy, any transfer fee received would go on the book as pure profit.

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La Liga giants Atleti are seemingly acutely aware of this. According to a report by MailOnline , Diego Simeone’s club want a deal worth in the region of £35m ($44.9m), plus add-ons.

Chelsea valued Gallagher at £55m ($70.6m) at the start of the summer, meaning there is considerable room to meet in the middle. Tottenham and Aston Villa have also been linked to the 24-year-old midfielder and are likely to be keeping an eye on developments.

Another aspect to factor into the equation as all parties look for a sweet spot in negotiations is Gallagher’s contract at Chelsea. His current terms expire in June 2025, meaning the Blues risk losing a fans’ favorite for nothing at the end of the season.

Gallagher is not part of Chelsea’s pre-season tour of the United States under new head coach Enzo Maresca having been granted extended leave on the back of England’s run to the final of Euro 2024.