Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher is closing in on a move to Atletico Madrid after entering the final year of his contract.
Atletico Madrid wanted an answer from Conor Gallagher over the weekend about a move to the Civitas Metropolitano, and it now looks like they have got a positive one from him.
Gallagher has less than 12 months to go on his contract, giving Chelsea little choice but to sell the 24-year-old.
He is not putting pen to paper on a new one, and the club will not want to lose him for free next summer.
Chelsea will still have some very good midfield options after the Englishman’s departure, including new signing Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall.
Conor Gallagher set to complete move to Atletico Madrid
Gallagher’s Chelsea career now appears to be over, as he moves closer to becoming an Atletico player.
His switch to Diego Simeone’s side should be completed very soon, with the England international about to jet off to Spain.
According to the Daily Mail, Gallagher will fly to Madrid today to sign a five-year contract with Atletico.
Gary Cahill doesn’t want Gallagher to go, but there is only one outcome now it seems: a Chelsea exit.
Matt O’Riley could replace Conor Gallagher at Chelsea
Chelsea do not need to sign a direct replacement for Gallagher, especially after bringing in Dewsbury-Hall.
The two English players are very similar, both able to play as box-to-box midfielders. Even so, it looks like the Blues could still end up signing someone to succeed Gallagher.
As per Sky Sports, Celtic’s Matt O’Riley is one option Chelsea are considering signing as a replacement for the England star.
Again, though, Enzo Maresca has Dewsbury-Hall, who can come in for the Chelsea academy graduate.
The new Chelsea manager also has Moises Caicedo, Enzo Fernandez and Romeo Lavia for his midfield. Ultimately, it is not an area of Chelsea’s squad that is weak; bringing in O’Riley seems a bit pointless.
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