Chelsea have reached an agreement to let a £98 million player go, alongside their widely reported deal to sell Conor Gallagher to Atletico Madrid, but there is one key issue holding up the move.
Chelsea agree £34 million deal with Atletico to sell Gallagher
A multitude of reliable media outlets, including renowned transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano, have claimed that Chelsea are ready to sell Gallagher to Atletico for around £34 million after shaking hands with the La Liga side.
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This comes after Diego Simeone's men opened discussions over the 24-year-old very recently. Atletico started talks to sign Gallagher from Chelsea last week, according to some reports, and it has not taken long for the Spaniards to find the middle ground in a potential deal.
The England star, who enjoyed a fine 2023/2024 campaign under Mauricio Pochettino, becoming a mainstay player and one of their most important squad members, was rewarded for his excellent form with a call-up to Gareth Southgate's Three Lions squad for Euro 2024.
Gallagher started 37 Premier League games last season, scoring five goals and assisting his teammates on seven other occasions, but his contract expires next year and Todd Boehly risks losing the dynamic midfielder for nothing in 2025.
Cole Palmer
7.48
Conor Gallagher
7.13
Nicolas Jackson
7.07
Moises Caicedo
6.85
Noni Madueke
6.84
The Cobham academy graduate's sale would count as pure profit when it comes to Profit and Sustainability rules as well, meaning Chelsea chiefs are faced with making the unpopular decision to sell Gallagher this summer while they still can.
The Stamford Bridge side have attempted to tie the former Crystal Palace loanee down with a new two-year contract, which included the option of a third year, and would've put him in line with Chelsea's top earners in midfield.
However, Gallagher snubbed this proposal, and it is believed both Chelsea and Atletico are waiting on his final decision after both clubs found an agreement on his £34 million transfer fee.
"Understand Conor Gallagher turned down a new three year (2+1) contract extension at Chelsea today as well as in early June," wrote journalist Ben Jacobs on X earlier this week.
"Wages offered comparable to the highest earners in Chelsea's midfield. As reported, Chelsea have agreed a package with Atletico Madrid in excess of €40m including add-ons and will support a move to Spain if that's Gallagher's preference.
"No terms agreed yet. Aston Villa also had a club-record bid accepted for Gallagher in June but he decided to stay. Chelsea would prefer to sell Gallagher abroad than to a Premier League rival and the Atletico offer accepted is well below the one made by Villa."
As Chelsea wait on Gallagher, it is now believed they've agreed to sell another player to Aston Villa in a surprise development.
Chelsea agree to sell Lukaku to Aston Villa, but key issue stalls deal
Wantaway striker Romelu Lukaku is the subject of serious interest from Napoli, as the Serie A side speak with Chelsea over a deal for him with Victor Osimhen heading the other way (David Ornstein).
However, this hasn't stopped Villa from attempting to hijack Antonio Conte's move. According to Italian newspaper Il Mattino, via TUTTOmercatoWEB, Villa reached an agreement with Chelsea to sign Lukaku this week, but there's a key issue, as the Belgian only wants to reunite with Conte in Naples.
Chelsea want the 31-year-old, who cost £98 million to re-sign from Inter Milan in 2021, to accept a move to the Midlands – but Lukaku has set his sights on a return to the Italian top flight instead.
Called a "complete" striker by Leonardo Bonucci, Lukaku's best goalscoring seasons have come during his stints in Serie A. He even guided Inter to a Scudetto triumph during the 2020/2021 season under Conte, scoring 24 and bagging a further 11 assists in the league alone.