Chelsea consider SHOCK January sale to fund striker transfer

Suraj Radia

• 12 Dec 2023 16:42 GMT
• 3 min read

Chelsea could be forced into selling a number of academy graduates next year, with Conor Gallagher reportedly being considered as a shock January exit for Mauricio Pochettino.

The Blues are dealing with the consequences of their transfer outlay in the past three transfer windows, which has seen the club spend more than £1 billion on players under owner Todd Boehly.

The staggering spend has led to Chelsea being in jeopardy of violating financial fair play rulings and the Premier League side will continue to look towards selling academy players, who count as pure profit towards the books.

Having seen the likes of Mason Mount, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Callum Hudson-Odoi being sold in the summer, Gallagher could be the next Cobham alumni to leave Stamford Bridge.

The Daily Mail claim that offers for Gallagher will be considered in January in order to raise funds to stenghthen Pochettino’s squad, with the 23-year-old entering into the final 18 months of his contract.

Pochettino is desperate to sign a striker in January and Chelsea are interested in Ivan Toney or Victor Osimhen, however a move for either would require a significant sale such as that of Gallagher due to the club’s financial constraints.

How contract impasse could lead to Gallagher departure

Gallagher has been a rare bright spot in Chelsea’s team this season, developing his all round game and becoming an integral piece of Pochettino’s side, only missing his first game of the Premier League campaign through suspension last weekend.

However, Gallagher has not formally been offered a new deal by Chelsea, with discussions being held over whether it would make greater sense to cash in on the midfielder due to club’s struggles with complying with spending rules.

Gallagher is also said to be unconvinced over signing a new deal if he was offered one due to Chelsea’s insistence on offering an eight-year contract to their key players.

Tottenham and West Ham had been interested in Gallagher during the summer but neither were willing to meet Chelsea’s £45 million asking price, although they could return once again in January.