The chatter in Spain about Atletico Madrid interest in Conor Gallagher has gone up a notch, with AS reporting that there has already been contact between the two sides over a potential move.
Eduardo Burgos Rodriguez reports that the Spanish side have already made an opening bid of just over €20m to kick off talks. This isn’t going to be accepted, obviously. As Rodriguez puts it: “Gallagher is for sale, but not at any price.”
What’s interesting and fresh in this piece is its interpretation of Gallagher’s feelings on the matter, making him sound keen. And Diego Simeone and the Atletico sporting directors want him too: “The English midfielder is liked – and a lot – by Simeone and those in charge” the article reads.
They also note interest from West Ham, Arsenal, Tottenham, Man U, Aston Villa and Newcastle: “the competition for the services of Gallagher will be ferocious.”
An impossible deal to do in these economic circumstances
Overall, the news about a Gallagher move away has really died down. We would imagine this is largely because of the midfielder’s participation at the Euros with England – plus the way that international tournaments in general tend to congest the summer anyway.
But all that has given the impression that his departure may not be as inevitable as previously thought, despite the cluster of clubs watching him enviously.
We have no doubt that teams like Atletico are happy to sound out Chelsea’s limits, but we also can’t see the two clubs ever finding common ground. The €20m being mentioned here is so far off the €50m that Chelsea want that it’s hard to see the two sides meeting in the middle. Would Chelsea really accept €35m or so for an England midfielder and proven Premier League player in his prime? We don’t think so.