Earlier this morning we reported that there was some interest from Atletico Madrid in buying Conor Gallagher from Chelsea, with Samu Omorodion going the other way in one of those new “swap, not swaps.”
The links to Gallagher from Atletico have been around for a while but haven’t been too convincing. They’re battling FFP and the Spanish league’s salary rules, and aren’t really in a position to be buying top Premier League players.
But the longer they go on the more convinced we are, and we’re hearing more and more today that convinces us there’s a chance that it could happen.
Football Espana are today reporting that Diego Simeone wants Spain midfielder Mikel Merino; while the club’s sporting director Andrea Berta is keener on Gallagher. The belief in Spain is that the England international could be available for just €30m, while Chelsea are reportedly trying to hold out for €50m. A speculative €20m bid has already been rejected.
A clash behind the scenes with major effects on Chelsea’s summer
Berta and Simeone have a good relationship and have worked well together, and we’d imagine both are also pretty happy with the alternative target. A lot of what happens will come down to the financial side of the deal, rather than a battle of wills.
As Football Espana point out, however, the threat in terms of Gallagher comes from Premier League teams. Sides like Aston Villa and Tottenham can easily outcompete Simeone’s side on wages and fee, it’s just a question of whether Chelsea can tolerate selling a key player to a direct rival for a top 4 place.
As for Omorodion’s future – that’s another question and one that Berta and Simeone will want to be aligned on.
