Newcastle United and Everton have both made ‘concrete offers’ for Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher this summer, according to reports.
The England international has been heavily linked with a move to Tottenham and West Ham recently. It seems, however, that the London clubs have fresh competition to contend with.
Mauricio Pochettino is currently trying to balance the books at Chelsea after a season of huge spending. As a result, he has parted ways with several players already this summer.
For instance, Mason Mount, Mateo Kovacic, Kai Havertz, Mateo Kovacic, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, N’Golo Kante and several others have left the London club.
Gallagher was linked with a move away from Stamford Bridge in January, but a move never materialised.
Interestingly, it was Everton that were reported to be closest to signing the midfielder. Now, the Toffees are continuing their pursuit, but may find a deal difficult due to the added competition.
According to transfer journalist Dean Jones, Gallagher has a ‘concrete offer’ on the table from Newcastle and Everton.
“Conor Gallagher has been linked to West Ham. He is a name that has been thrown in there, my information on Gallagher is that he doesn’t want to leave Chelsea at all, but if he has to leave he will consider it,” Jones told the Ranks FC Ultras Podcast.
“Everton and Newcastle both have tabled offers, he is very aware of what he would get if he went to either of those clubs.”
As mentioned, both Tottenham and West Ham also hold an interest in Gallagher. So we could potentially see a bidding war take place for the 23-year-old.
Chelsea reportedly value Gallagher at around £50m. It’s not clear at this stage whether Pochettino would be willing to let Gallagher leave, though.
Last season, Gallagher made 35 Premier League appearances for Chelsea, scoring three goals and making one assist. He could be set to play an even more important role this season.
Given the departures of Mount, Kovacic, Kante and Loftus-Cheek, Pochettino doesn’t have many midfield options available to him.
Also, as stated by Jones, Gallagher is happy to stay at Chelsea. His contract is valid until 2025, too. This means that it would require a sizeable transfer offer to lure him away from Stamford Bridge.
Everton have other priorities and don’t have a lot of money to spend, so they can probably be ruled out of the race. Unless, perhaps, they sell some players for big money soon.
Newcastle, Tottenham and West Ham, on the other hand, all have plenty of transfer funds at their disposal at the moment. With that in mind, it will be interesting to see how Chelsea respond to the Magpies’ offer, and whether any rival bids are tabled for Gallagher.
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