Chelsea have agreed terms with Atletico Madrid for Conor Gallagher after the England midfielder turned down the offer of a contract extension on Wednesday.
Gallagher turned down a new three-year contract extension (two years plus the option of another year) to extend his stay at Stamford Bridge. He also turned down the offer of an extension to his deal in early June.
Chelsea have now agreed a deal with Atletico in a bid to help resolve the player’s future.
Gallagher is believed to be interested in a move to Atletico and Chelsea will do everything they can to support his move to Spain, if that is what he wants.
The Blues are now waiting for Gallagher, whose current deal at Stamford Bridge runs out next summer, and his camp to decide what he wants to do.
The salary Chelsea have offered him is comparable to the highest earners in their midfield and is believed to be comparable to other salary offers he has received.
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Sky Sports’ Kaveh Solhekol gives an update on Chelsea possible outgoings and transfer targets
The 24-year-old also turned down interest in a contract extension in the autumn of 2022 because he wanted to be a regular starter and not a squad player. He became a regular starter last season.
Chelsea accepted a larger bid from Aston Villa for Gallagher this summer but he decided to reject a move to Villa Park and stay at Stamford Bridge.
Could Spurs bid for Gallagher?
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Speaking on the Transfer Talk Podcast, the Evening Standard’s Dan Kilpatrick questions whether Conor Gallagher would be a regular first team player for Tottenham
Chelsea would prefer to sell him to a club abroad rather than a Premier League rival.
Earlier on Wednesday we reported that Atletico were aware of interest in Gallagher from Tottenham.
Spurs and Aston Villa have shown interest in Gallagher
Chelsea expect Tottenham to make a bid for the 24-year-old. Ange Postecoglou’s side have a long-term interest in the 24-year-old and tried to sign him last summer.
Spurs, though, are concentrating on getting players out of their squad first.
Cause for concern? Off-field upheaval and problems on the pitch for Chelsea
Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca has seen two disappointing performances from his side so far in pre-season
Putting too much weight onto pre-season results is a perennial trap that must be avoided. But while alarm bells may not yet be ringing at Chelsea, their performances during their US tour so far will have many fans concerned that a summer of off-field upheaval has brought further problems on the pitch.
New boss Enzo Maresca shrugged that his side “are going to concede goals” with the play-out-from-the-back style he is trying to impose after defensive errors saw Chelsea struggle to a 2-2 draw with League One Wrexham in their first outing Stateside.
But letting in four against Celtic was probably beyond his acceptable allowance.
In both games – with all the caveats of pre-season in place – Chelsea looked open, unsure and error-prone. Whether it was Wrexham or Celtic forwards, there was repeatedly space in behind to exploit – or Chelsea defenders giving the ball back to the opposition in dangerous areas.
Read Pete Smith’s feature on Chelsea’s troubling pre-season here.
Chelsea’s remaining pre-season schedule
Chelsea forward Christopher Nkunku, center, celebrates after scoring in a pre-season friendly against Wrexham
July 25: Chelsea 2-2 Wrexham
July 27: Chelsea 1-4 Celtic
August 1: Chelsea vs Club America – Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, kick-off 12am
August 3: Chelsea vs Man City – Ohio Stadium, Columbus, kick-off 10.30pm
August 7: Chelsea vs Real Madrid – Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, kick-off 12am
August 11: Chelsea vs Inter Milan – Stamford Bridge, kick-off 3pm
When does the summer transfer window open and close?
The 2024 summer transfer window officially closes on August 30 at 11pm UK time in the Premier League and 11.30pm in Scotland.
The Premier League has brought forward Deadline Day to link up with the other major leagues in Europe. The closing dates were set following discussions with the leagues in England, Germany, Italy, Spain and France.
