Liverpool ready to swoop for Chelsea star amid contract uncertainty
Tom Weber
- 26 Oct 2023 05:27 CDT
- 4 min read
Liverpool are ready to swoop for Conor Gallagher should his contract uncertainty at Chelsea persist.
A fan favourite, the boyhood Blue has become a vital cog in Mauricio Pochettino's side, even captaining the team in the absence of Reece James. Yet, Chelsea are taking their time in opening talks over a new contract, with the 23-year-old's current deal expiring in 2025.
After being heavily linked with an exit in the summer, this uncertainty and Chelsea's dawdling will give rise to fresh interest in January. Indeed, as FootballTransfers has exclusively revealed, Al-Ettifaq boss Steven Gerrard already personally contacted his compatriot to test the waters if there was any interest at all in moving to Saudi Arabia in January.
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This approach left Chelsea infuriated and Gallagher rebuffed the Liverpool legend, but Gerrard's former club may not be as easy to turn down.
Liverpool want Gallagher
Indeed, as journalist Simon Phillips reports, Liverpool will be in the mix in January. Jurgen Klopp is said to be keen to add more English players to his squad, and Gallagher would be one option to alleviate concerns about homegrown rules.
Though the Anfield club signed four midfielders in the summer, injury-prone veteran Thiago Alcantara is on an expiring contract and expected to depart in the summer, opening up a spot for another recruit in the centre of the park.
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Liverpool were reportedly among the clubs looking at Gallagher in the summer and they will be there again in the winter, but Chelsea are expected to open contract talks with the midfielder before the window opens, so it could prove to be a tough operation for the Reds.
The boyhood Chelsea fan has expressed his pride at being allowed to captain the side and has made no indications that he would be prepared to leave - especially to a rival - but as Mason Mount's departure for Man Utd showed, long-standing allegiances mean little if players don't feel appreciated by the club chiefs.
