The future of Conor Gallagher is coming to the fore and a report claims a decision made by the all-action midfielder could leave Chelsea, Tottenham and Aston Villa all frustrated.
Gallagher, 24, has just one year remaining on his Chelsea contract. The Blues are among the cluster of clubs who must sell players before June 30 to balance the books. The sales of homegrown stars are particularly lucrative given they represent pure profit on the balance sheet.
TEAMtalk has been told Chelsea’s hierarchy do not view Gallagher as a key cog in their long-term plans.
Former boss Muaricio Pochettino did, though the Argentine no longer holds sway at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea’s ideal scenario is cashing in for a big fee this summer and signing a replacement more suited to new boss Enzo Maresca who favours a possession-based style. On that front, a £40m-rated successor to Gallagher is already being eyed.
Aston Villa have opened dual talks over the signing of Gallagher. Unai Emery’s side are in discussions with Chelsea as well as Gallagher’s camp.
However, TEAMtalk has confirmed Tottenham are fully prepared to enter the bidding and the north London club remain confident of snatching a deal away from Villa.
Chelsea value Gallagher in the region of £50m. The Blues settled on that price tag having netted a deal worth £50m plus £5m in add-ons when selling Mason Mount to Manchester United last summer. Like Gallagher now, Mount had one year left on his deal at the time.
However, according to a fresh update from the Guardian, all three of Chelsea, Tottenham and Aston Villa could be facing disappointment.
READ MORE: Chelsea contracts: Conor Gallagher and four more Blues entering the last year of their deals
Conor Gallagher’s exit decision
They state Gallagher will refuse to be pressured into accepting a transfer this summer that he does not deem best for his career.
As such, the midfielder is fully prepared to spurn any offers he receives and could see out the final year of his contract before leaving Chelsea as a free agent in 2025.
That scenario would represent the worst possible outcome for Chelsea. Of course, it would mean Gallagher can star for the Blues next season, though whether he’ll feature heavily under Maresca is as yet unclear anyway.
Losing a highly saleable asset to free agency in a year’s time would represent bad business in the extreme for Chelsea.
Furthermore, Spurs and Villa would be denied the chance to sign a player they clearly love this summer.
As such, the onus is seemingly on Tottenham and/or Aston Villa to convince Gallagher joining them would be a step in the right direction.
Gallagher comes from a family of lifelong Chelsea fans and wishes to maintain control over the direction of his career.
Convincing him to leave Chelsea will not be a straightforward task.
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