TEAM TALK
Atletico Madrid are extremely confident they’ll be able to deprive Chelsea of Conor Gallagher this summer, TEAMtalk can reveal.
Chelsea are having a quieter than usual window with the focus on securing young talent and selling some of their unwanted stars.
They have so far signed 25-year-old Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall as their man addition, got 26-year-old Tosin Adarabioyo in on a free, and snared four players ranging from 18 to 20 years old.
In terms of outgoings, one of the players they are keen to bring in a fee for is midfield man Gallagher, whose future has been in doubt for some time.
Tottenham and multiple others want him but it is Spanish giants Atletico Madrid who are now in pole position for his signature.
They are in talks with Chelsea and sources say that they are extremely confident he will play for Diego Simeone next season.
They want to bring in the England international and believe that he is perfect for the famous Simeone system. It is a move that attracts the 24-year-old and he has had multiple conversations with close friends in the game about life in Spain.
One of those is England teammate Kieran Trippier, who played in La Liga for Atletico during their title-winning campaign in 2021.
The Newcastle right-back has given a glowing reference to Gallagher and only re-affirmed the fact it would be a very good move for his career.
Spurs are not at real risk of losing out on a long-term target as talks are ongoing right now over an exit from Stamford Bridge.
The sale of one of the club’s captaincy figures has been on the minds of the owners since arriving at Chelsea and they look to be on the brink of making it happen.
Gallagher was a key figure last season for the Blues and one of the main points of contention that saw Mauricio Pochettino lose his job at the end of the campaign.
He was deemed too important by the Argentine but there was no way of convincing the owners and recruitment team that was the case.
That was after seven goals and nine assists in all seasons from the heart of the midfield.
It is now becoming clear that last season was likely the last time Chelsea fans will see the midfielder wearing their colours, and Atletico have confidence that he’ll instead be in red and white come the start of next season.
