Last night saw an interesting wave of briefs about the future of Conor Gallagher released, with various sources claiming that Chelsea were going to hold out for £50m for their midfielder, and were certainly not going to let him go on the cheap for financial reasons.
The Daily Mail have followed that up today with further details from Sami Mokbel. He says that Aston Villa and Tottenham are the two main Premier League contenders, both of whom would be willing to pay a figure somewhere in the vicinity of what Chelsea want.
Both of those sides have been mentioned before. But Mokbel throws a new and interesting suggestion into the mix – Atletico Madrid.
A fun idea – but an unlikely one
It’s a very fun idea and a perfect fit – just imagine Conor tearing around Diego Simeone’s midfield. It would be quite something. But sadly it doesn’t feel at all likely to us. Atletico rarely spend £50m at the best of times, and right now they’re having something of a squeeze financially. All the reporting in Spain is that they’re likely going to have to sell off a couple of their higher earning stars this summer.
So dropping such a significant sum on a player who is already on Premier League wages doesn’t seem like a natural move, or one that they can square financially.
While that one doesn’t sound like a go-er, the Tottenham and Villa links feel like they’re only going to grow stronger with time. The fact that Gallagher is going to go to the Euros with England and looks to be lined up as a potential starter could boost his value further – although it makes the chances of completing his deal before the 30th June accounting deadline for this season less likely.
