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Chelsea and Atletico Madrid agree terms on deal as midfielder rejects new contract
Chelsea have agreed terms with Atletico Madrid for Conor Gallagher; The England midfielder turned down the offer of a contract extension from Chelsea on Wednesday; Gallagher is believed to be interested in a move to Atletico; Chelsea waiting on a decision from the 24-year-old
Gallagher turned down a new three-year contract extension (two years plus the option of another year) to extend his stay at Stamford Bridge. He also turned down the offer of an extension to his deal in early June.
The Blues are now waiting for Gallagher, whose current deal at Stamford Bridge runs out next summer, and his camp to decide what he wants to do. The salary Chelsea have offered him is comparable to the highest earners in their midfield and is believed to be comparable to other salary offers he has received.
The 24-year-old also turned down interest in a contract extension in the autumn of 2022 because he wanted to be a regular starter and not a squad player. He became a regular starter last season.
Chelsea accepted a larger bid from Aston Villa for Gallagher this summer but he decided to reject a move to Villa Park and stay at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea would prefer to sell him to a club abroad rather than a Premier League rival. Earlier on Wednesday we reported that Atletico were aware of interest in Gallagher from Tottenham.
Chelsea expect Tottenham to make a bid for the 24-year-old. Ange Postecoglou's side have a long-term interest in the 24-year-old and tried to sign him last summer.
Spurs, though, are concentrating on getting players out of their squad first. Putting too much weight onto pre-season results is a perennial trap that must be avoided. But while alarm bells may not yet be ringing at Chelsea, their performances during their US tour so far will have many fans concerned that a summer of off-field upheaval has brought further problems on the pitch.
New boss Enzo Maresca shrugged that his side "are going to concede goals" with the play-out-from-the-back style he is trying to impose after defensive errors saw Chelsea struggle to a 2-2 draw with League One Wrexham in their first outing Stateside.
But letting in four against Celtic was probably beyond his acceptable allowance. In both games - with all the caveats of pre-season in place - Chelsea looked open, unsure and error-prone. Whether it was Wrexham or Celtic forwards, there was repeatedly space in behind to exploit - or Chelsea defenders giving the ball back to the opposition in dangerous areas.
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