Chelsea could be prepared to let Conor Gallagher go in the January transfer window, but only for the right offer, according to transfer news guru Fabrizio Romano.
Gallagher has been a key player for the Blues this season, so it seems risky to be thinking about letting him go, but the England international is heading towards the final year of his contract.
Speaking exclusively to CaughtOffside for his Daily Briefing column, Romano explained that Chelsea’s stance with Gallagher now is much the same as it was in the summer – they are open to offers for the 23-year-old, but they will only consider important proposals to let him leave.
It seems the price Chelsea have in mind for January is £35million or more, so that will be an interesting one for clubs to consider, though Romano doesn’t have any updates for the moment on which specific teams could be in for the former Crystal Palace loanee.
“Mauricio Pochettino has spoken about Conor Gallagher’s future, and the situation is much the same as it was in the summer. He was available in the summer, but only for an important bid. The reality is he has always been available, and now his contract is due to expire in 2025, so Chelsea want to have a conversation with the player and his representatives,” Romano said.
“I think for January, it would take an important proposal, but if it’s something more than £35m then Chelsea could be open to discussing it. But, it is not something that they 100% approve – they are not at the stage yet where they have decided to sell Gallagher.
“There’s still no decision on Gallagher from what I heard. His new contract situation remains one of the topics being discussed at Chelsea, but his exit can’t be ruled out in case they receive an important proposal. Tottenham wanted him last summer but there has been no further development so far.
“I think Pochettino sent a strong message about the player, that this is the kind of player they need, so let’s see how the board respond to this strong message from the manager. I’d keep this situation open.”
Chelsea fans surely won’t be keen to lose Gallagher after his fine form this season, but if he doesn’t sign a new deal soon then it may be that the club will have a difficult decision to make.