Cunning Chelsea plan leaves Tottenham in tatters and LaLiga giants laughing as midfielder terms agreed

Chelsea have reportedly agreed terms with Atletico Madrid for Conor Gallagher after the England midfielder turned down the offer of a contract extension on Wednesday.

The 24-year-old has snubbed a new three-year contract extension (two years plus the option of another year) to extend his stay at Stamford Bridge, having also turned down the offer of an extension to his deal in early June.

To that end, Chelsea have now agreed a deal with Atletico in a bid to help resolve the future of the Three Lions star.

Gallagher is believed to be interested in a move to Atletico and Chelsea will do everything they can to support his move to Spain, given they would much sooner facilitate a move there than the player move to a Premier League rival.

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The Blues are now said to be waiting for Gallagher, whose current deal at Stamford Bridge runs out next summer, and his camp to decide what he wants to do.

When speaking about Gallagher’s future recently, new Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca said: “At the moment Conor will be back with us at Cobham in the next few days. He will train with us. The transfer window is open, anything can happen, not only with Conor, but for all the players.”

Gallagher edging towards Spain switch

The salary Chelsea have offered him is comparable to the highest earners in their midfield and is believed to be comparable to other salary offers he has received.

However, the midfielder also turned down interest in a contract extension in the autumn of 2022 because he wanted to be a regular starter and not a squad player. He became a regular starter last season but there are no guarantees this time around following the arrival of Maresca as Mauricio Pochettino’s replacement.

Chelsea are known to have accepted a larger bid from Aston Villa for Gallagher this summer but he decided to reject a move to Villa Park and stay at Stamford Bridge, at that time.

And it’s no great surprise that Chelsea would prefer to sell him to a club abroad rather than a Premier League rival for fear of Gallagher taking his game to another level, especially if it was at Tottenham.

The north London club have been hunting Gallagher all summer long, with Ange Postcoglou known to be a huge admirer of his talents.

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And, while it’s expected that Spurs will make another bid for the midfielder, they are currently focused on moving players on to create space in Postecoglou’s squad.

To that end, there is every chance they will now miss the boat as Gallagher ends up plying his trade in LaLiga this season.