Earlier this summer the rumour that Atletico Madrid were interested in Conor Gallagher bubbled up, but it was hard to take it too seriously. Given Chelsea were apparently keen for €50m or more for their midfielder, the Spanish side didn’t appear to have the resources.
But the links have continued, and it seems there are now talks between the two clubs. Atletico apparently made a €20m opening bid, which was rejected immediately as you’d expect, but that at least got the dialogue open.
Arsenal’s potential role in a Gallagher move
Diego Simeone’s team want to sign a defensively minded midfielder, with Gallagher one potential option. Their first choice appears to be Mikel Merino of Real Sociedad, but there is an emerging problem on that front – Arsenal.
Mikel Arteta’s team also like the solid Basque number 5, and have started to make concrete bids for him. AS’s report today claims that Chelsea could find that Atletico’s interest in Gallagher really ramps up if Arsenal complete a deal for Merino.
The updated report there says Chelsea want a “minimum of €40m” for the academy product, bringing a deal far close to Atletico’s range.
There would still need to be major compromises made on both sides, but a few clauses and bonuses thrown in should be able to bridge what’s now just a €20m gap between Atletico’s initial bid and Chelsea’s reported asking price.
As for Gallagher, we all know he’d rather stay. But if Chelsea are really intent on pushing him out, the temptation of a move to Spain to play for Simeone and in the Champions League, in a situation where he could really thrive, may eventually tempt him.
All we can say for sure is that we now consider his chances of making this Atletico move far, far higher than we did at the start of June.
