Aston Villa in talks to sign Chelsea fan favourite - Ornstein

Tom Weber

• Updated: 4 Jun 2024 13:52 CDT
• 3 min read

Aston Villa have held 'preliminary talks' with Chelsea over signing Conor Gallagher, according to David Ornstein.

The Blues are looking to balance the books this summer and Gallagher has been earmarked as one of the players who could potentially flush a large amount of money into their coffers.

Despite being one of Chelsea's most important players - and occasional captain - under Mauricio Pochettino last season, the west London giants are trying to offload the fan favourite.

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As a homegrown player, the money generated from his sale would count as 'pure profit' on Chelsea's balance sheet, which would help them alleviate concerns regarding the Premier League's Profit and Sustainability Rules as well as UEFA's Financial Fair Play regulations.

Now, the first concrete steps appear to have been taken towards facilitating his exit.

Villa want Gallagher

According to The Athletic's transfer guru David Ornstein, Aston Villa have held preliminary talks with Chelsea and Gallagher's camp over a summer move. Unai Emery is said to be a 'huge' admirer of the 24-year-old and the Basque coach is looking to bolster his side ahead of what is bound to be a historic campaign.

Aston Villa have qualified for their Champions League for the first time since the rebranding in the early 1990s and European specialist Emery is keen to ensure that his side can be competitive in the continent's premier competition next term.

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The relationship between Chelsea and Villa is amicable, though as talks are still in an early stage, Ornstein did not provide much information, such as a valuation of the player. Gallagher is entering the final year of his Blues deal and an extension does not appear to be forthcoming.

Ornstein also reports that Chelsea maintain an interest in Villa youngster Jhon Duran after considering the 20-year-old striker as a potential option towards the end of the January transfer window.