Gallagher agrees Atletico move as Lukaku attempts Chelsea exit
It’s been a little while since Chelsea had any confirmed departures out of the door, with the latest being Malang Sarr, who agreed to terminate his contract with the club and join Ligue 1 side RC Lens on a free transfer.
Thiago Silva, Hakim Ziyech, Lewis Hall, Omari Hutchinson, Michael Golding and Ian Maatsen all departed Stamford Bridge before Sarr, bringing in around £89 million in total to balance Chelsea’s books and ease some pressure in regard to PSR.
While not yet official, it has been widely reported by the national press that midfielder Conor Gallagher looks set to follow them out of the door, coming after Atletico Madrid agreed a £34 million deal to sign the England international.
| Gallagher’s 23/24 Premier League Stats vs Chelsea Squad | ||
|---|---|---|
| Metric | Output | Squad rank |
| Minutes | 3,137 | 1st |
| Goals | 5 | =4th |
| Assists | 7 | 2nd |
| Pass success rate (%) | 91.5 | 3rd |
| Tackles per game | 2.3 | 3rd |
| Interceptions per game | 1.2 | 1st |
| Overall rating | 7.13 | 2nd |
| via WhoScored | ||
In what has been a hugely popular move among the fanbase, considering the Cobham academy graduate started 37 Premier League games as a star player under Mauricio Pochettino last season, Chelsea chiefs opted to make the transfer after Gallagher rejected their proposal of a two-year contract, plus the option of a further season.
“Chelsea have given him permission to travel and undergo a medical after clubs agreed a €40m fee,” said journalist Ben Jacobs earlier this week.
“Both #CFC and Atletico had given Gallagher until the end of the weekend to make a decision. Understand two other top six clubs made enquiries in the last few days, but Gallagher wanted to either move to Atleti or extend at Chelsea. 2+1 extension remained on the table. With only one year left, Chelsea intent on resolving Gallagher’s future this window.”
Napoli are still in talks to sign Romelu Lukaku from Chelsea as well, who’s said to have agreed a three-year contract to work under Antonio Conte again, so the Belgian’s transfer could well be concluded after Gallagher officially seals his move to Atletico.
Chelsea ready to sell Kepa Arrizabalaga for £15 million
Uncertainty also still surrounds the future of goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga, who joined from Athletic Bilbao in a £72 million deal six years ago.
The £150,000-per-week player spent last season on loan at Real Madrid, but that door appears closed, with Andriy Lunin apparently signing a new contract and Thibaut Courtois back from injury.
There is, however, still interest from the Saudi Pro League, and Chelsea are ready to sell Kepa for around £15 million – which would mean they take a big £57 million loss to get him out the door.
This is all according to GiveMeSport, who suggest that Chelsea still hope to part ways with the 29-year-old before deadline day.
