Chelsea ‘shift’ mooted amid Aston Villa ‘agreement’ as Boehly ‘considers’ U-turn on £50m transfer
According to reports, Chelsea are ‘considering shifting’ their stance on selling Conor Gallagher amid interest from Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur.
Gallagher progressed through the ranks at Chelsea and was a key player under Mauricio Pochettino as he captained his boyhood club for much of the 2023/24 season.
Pochettino was a big admirer of Gallagher during his time as Chelsea boss, but the midfielder is at risk of leaving the Premier League giants this summer.
Chelsea and Aston Villa are among the six Premier League clubs who ‘must sell’ in the coming weeks to avoid a points deduction for a potential breach of Profit and Sustainability rules.
Gallagher is considered a likely candidate to move on as he would be a pure profit sale and Chelsea could cash in as he enters the final year of his contract at Chelsea.
The England international is attracting interest from Villa and Tottenham. In the meantime, Chelsea have been in talks with Unai Emery’s side over signing Jhon Duran and an ‘agreement’ has reportedly already been reached between the two clubs.
According to The Guardian, ‘there have been informal talks’ between Chelsea and Villa over a ‘swap deal’ involving Duran and Gallagher, but the latter is understood to be ‘lukewarm on the idea’.
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It had felt like it would only be a matter of time before Gallagher leaves Chelsea this summer, but the report claims they are ‘considering a shift in their position over selling him and could make a concerted effort to agree a new deal with the midfielder’.
‘Gallagher remains a candidate to leave Stamford Bridge this summer and is wanted by Aston Villa and Tottenham. But while there have been plenty of indications that Chelsea are actively looking to sell Gallagher, who is valued at a minimum of £50m, there has been a change in the noise around the situation.
‘The possibility of a reversal has been strengthened by unexpected predictions from within the club, who are giving serious consideration to bolstering their attack by signing Villa’s Jhon Durán, that Gallagher will not be sold during this transfer window.
‘There is a danger for Chelsea that keeping the 24-year-old will open the possibility of him leaving on a free transfer next year. Yet the player’s preference is to stay at his boyhood club and it is understood that Chelsea are open to securing his future if talks over a contract extension resume.’
