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.
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?
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.
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
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.
Chelsea's remaining pre-season schedule
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.
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