Fabrizio Romano confirms €40m Chelsea deal is close

Carlo Garganese

4 Aug 2024 09:00 BST
3 min read

Fabrizio Romano has confirmed that Atletico Madrid are closing in on the signing of Conor Gallagher from Chelsea.

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Gallagher has been in talks over a move to Atletico for some time now, and Romano reports that positive talks were held on Saturday.

The result of these talks is that all parties are confident that a transfer will soon been fully agreed.

There are still some details to clarify, Romano reports, with Chelsea hoping to get a €40 million fee for the midfielder.

Romano concludes that Chelsea are confident of completing the sale soon.

Atletico Madrid recently had a bid of €20m rejected by Chelsea for the midfielder, but they have since increased their offer significantly towards the €40m demanded by the Blues.

Atletico see Gallagher as a replacement for Saul Niguez.

The Blues have put Gallagher up for sale for a few important financial reasons.

First of all, following two years of record spending, Chelsea need to sell players in order to balance the books.

Secondly, Gallagher is one of the few players with heavy interest who can guarantee a big profit in this regard.

Thirdly, Gallagher’s contract at Stamford Bridge expires in 2025 and Chelsea cannot afford to lose him on a free transfer.

Aston Villa and Tottenham have also been linked with making a move for the England star but it now seems as if he is on his way to Atletico Madrid.

It had been reported initially that Gallagher would rather not leave this summer and cannot understand why he has been put up for sale.

But Atletico Madrid’s offer made him reconsider this stance, especially after England teammate and former Atletico star Kieran Trippier recommended he make the move.

Gallagher at Chelsea

The 24-year-old has been at Chelsea since he was a youth player from 2008.

After a series of loan moves he established himself as a regular in the first team, and in total he has made 95 appearances for the club, scoring 10 goals.

He was one of the few players to come out of the 2023-24 season with any credit as Chelsea endured another miserable campaign.

Gallagher has also won 13 caps for the England national team and he is in the squad for Euro 2024 this summer.