Chelsea receive good Gallagher news despite 'tense' Atletico talks

Tom Weber

• Updated: 16 Aug 2024 10:37 BST
• 3 min read

Atletico Madrid's top transfer priority remains signing Conor Gallagher, according to Matteo Moretto.

The transfer saga surrounding the Chelsea star continues. Forced to travel back to London after Samu Omorodion's move to Stamford Bridge fell through, Gallagher remains in limbo.

The 24-year-old had already completed his Atletico Madrid medical, signed his contract and was paraded on the club's social media accounts, but now he is training with a separate group of Chelsea outcasts and using youth team facilities away from the senior squad.

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Chelsea and Atletico, however, remain locked in talks to find a solution for Gallagher, with Joao Felix having been discussed as a player going the other way. The problem is that the Spanish giants value their €127 million signing significantly higher than €40m Omorodion.

This has proved a major stumbling block, but the clubs continue to haggle, though the situation is 'tense,' according to Fabrizio Romano.

Atleti only want Gallagher

Relevo journalist Matteo Moretto has now provided an intriguing update on the situation. Despite Atletico having made contact with potential contingencies, their priority remains Gallagher, he reports.

They previously had a deal lined up for Javi Guerra of Valencia in the event of Gallagher falling through but that transfer actually collapsed due to the progress initially made with the England midfielder.

Tentative talks with Leicester and Chelsea legend N'Golo Kante have taken place, while former Man Utd loanee Sofyan Amrabat is admired. However, Moretto states that Atletico will only move for alternatives once Gallagher's transfer is fully off, which is not yet the case.

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In fact, AS claims that the LaLiga giants are really pushing to find a quick solution. Ideally, Atletico want to sell Felix and sign Gallagher by next Wednesday.

Despite the deal continuing to hang in the balance, the chances of eventually finding a satisfactory solution seem to be healthy. This is good news for Chelsea who need to raise funds after another summer of lavish spending.