According to reports, England international Conor Gallagher ‘wants to stay’ at Chelsea amid interest from Premier League rivals Tottenham and West Ham.
Gallagher was a bit-part player for Chelsea during the 2022/23 campaign as he only started 18 games in the Premier League.
After spending £600m on new signings last season, Chelsea have been focused on offloading some unwanted squad players this summer and they have managed to recoup over £200m in transfer fees.
Chelsea’s summer departures have left them short on options in midfield. Despite this, Gallagher is being linked with a move elsewhere.
Last week, it was reported that Tottenham are set to ‘move’ for Gallagher, while West Ham have since had a £40m bid rejected for the £50m-rated midfielder.
Gallagher has featured heavily for Chelsea during pre-season and The Daily Mail are reporting that ‘West Ham fear missing out on him as the player wants to stay and fight for his place under Mauricio Pochettino at Chelsea’.
There is reportedly a ‘growing realisation among those interested’ in Gallagher that he ‘does not want to leave’ and this is ‘largely due to his fondness of his new manager’.
Earlier this week, Pochettino admitted that Chelsea are “working to reinforce” in midfield but Gallagher is “in his plans”.
“At the moment, we are working to reinforce that area, and other areas also,” Pochettino admitted.
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“I think the players that are here on the tour are in our plans, Chelsea’s plans. We are working very hard to try to add more players in different areas and hope that is possible soon.
“Conor is in our plans, I was talking with him the first day I arrived. In football, things can happen we cannot manage. At the moment, I am happy with him and his performance, he has two years on his contract. We have nothing to say.”
The report from The Daily Mail adds that West Ham are also looking at Man Utd’s Scott McTominay and Monaco’s Youssouf Fofana.
‘It is the latest slice of misfortune that West Ham have endured in their search for replacements for Declan Rice, their defensive midfielder who joined Arsenal for £105m earlier this month.
‘Their attempts at landing Ajax’s Edson Alvarez, Juventus’ Denis Zakaria and Fulham’s Joao Palhinha have all encountered issues, while talks are now ongoing to sign James Ward-Prowse, who is valued at £40m by Southampton. Negotiations with the Saints are said to have been positive.
‘Manchester United’s Scott McTominay and Monaco’s Youssouf Fofana are also on West Ham’s potential targets list as they try to identify the midfielder who represents the best value for money.’
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