Chelsea agreed a deal with Atletico Madrid for England midfielder Conor Gallagher on Wednesday after he turned down the offer of a contract extension.
Gallagher turned down a new three-year contract extension (with a two-year option) to extend his stay at Stamford Bridge and also turned down the offer of a contract extension in early June.
Chelsea is now Atletico To resolve the player’s future.
Gallagher is thought to be interested in a move to Atletico and if that is what he wants, Chelsea would do all they can to support his move to Spain.
The Blues are now waiting for Gallagher and his camp to decide what they want to do when his current deal at Stamford Bridge ends next summer.
The salary offered by Chelsea would be comparable to the club’s highest-paid midfielder and is thought to be in line with other salary offers he has received to date.
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Sky Sports’ Kaveh Solhekol gives the latest on Chelsea’s transfer candidates and targets
The 24-year-old also turned down interest in a contract extension in the fall of 2022 because he wants to be a regular player rather than a reserve, which he became last season.
Chelsea is Aston Villa Gallagher had been keen on a move this summer but rejected a move to Villa Park, opting to remain at Stamford Bridge.
Could Spurs make a bid for Gallagher?
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Speaking on the Transfer Talk podcast, the Evening Standard’s Dan Kilpatrick has questioned whether Conor Gallagher will become a regular player at Tottenham.
Chelsea would prefer to sell him to a club overseas rather than to a Premier League rival.
It was reported earlier on Wednesday that Atletico were aware of their interest in Gallagher. Tottenham.
Spurs and Aston Villa interested in Gallagher
Chelsea expect Tottenham to make an bid for the 24-year-old, whose manager Ange Postecoglou’s side have a long-term interest in the player and made an attempt to sign him last summer.
However, Spurs are first focused on getting players off their team.
Cause for concern? Chelsea’s off-field chaos and on-pitch problems
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has seen his team perform disappointingly in their two pre-season matches so far.
Placing too much emphasis on pre-season results is a perennial trap to avoid, but while the alarm bells may not be ringing for Chelsea just yet, their performance on the US tour so far will have many fans worried that a summer of off-field turmoil has led to further problems on the pitch.
New manager Enzo Maresca shrugged and said “we will concede goals” with the style of play he is trying to impose from the back after defensive errors cost Chelsea a 2-2 draw at League One side Wrexham in their opening game in the United States.
However, conceding four goals against Celtic was probably more than he could tolerate.
In both games, with all the pre-season caveats in place, Chelsea looked open, unsure and error-prone. Time and again, either Wrexham’s or Celtic’s forwards found space in behind them to exploit, or Chelsea’s defenders simply gave the ball back to their opponents in dangerous areas.
Read Pete Smith’s feature on Chelsea’s struggling pre-season here.
Chelsea Remaining preseason schedule
Chelsea forward Christopher Nkunku (centre) celebrates after scoring during a pre-season friendly against Wrexham
July 25: Chelsea 2-2 Wrexham
July 27: Chelsea 1-4 Celtic
Aug. 1: Chelsea v Club America – Atlanta, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, kick-off 12:00
August 3: Chelsea v Manchester City – Ohio Stadium, Columbus, kick-off 10:30pm
August 7: Chelsea v Real Madrid – Charlotte, Bank of America Stadium, kick-off 12:00
August 11: Chelsea v Inter Milan – Stamford Bridge, kick-off 3pm
When does the summer transfer window start and end?
of Summer 2024 transfer window The Premier League will officially finish at 11pm UK time on 30 August, with 11.30pm in Scotland.
The Premier League brought forward the deadline to align itself with other major European leagues. The date was set following consultation with the leagues in England, Germany, Italy, Spain and France.
