Fabrizio Romano confirms Postecoglou admires Chelsea star but slows down major Tottenham rumour

Ange Postecoglou is a big fan of a Chelsea ace, though there are no concrete transfer talks going on between Tottenham Hotspur and the Blues, according to Fabrizio Romano.

It looks set to be a busy January transfer window for Tottenham as they look to bolster several areas of Postecoglou’s squad. Centre-back has been identified as a priority position that needs strengthening, following injuries to the likes of Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven.

As per recent reports, Tottenham have drawn up a three-man shortlist of potential defensive signings. It includes rising Genoa star Radu Dragusin, Nice’s Jean-Clair Todibo and Giorgio Scalvini of Atalanta. At the time of writing, Tottenham appear to be pushing hardest to land Dragusin.

But central midfield is also an area of concern for Postecoglou. The manager will be without Rodrigo Bentancur until around February after suffering ankle ligament damage, while he does not feel Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg is the right fit for his style of play. And when Yves Bissouma and Pape Sarr head off to represent Mali and Senegal respectively at the Africa Cup of Nations in January, his midfield options will look particularly weak.

These factors have seen Tottenham land on Chelsea star Conor Gallagher as a possible signing. Despite Mauricio Pochettino wanting to keep Gallagher at Chelsea, as shown by the Englishman being given the captain’s armband on several occasions this season, Todd Boehly reportedly put him up for sale on Thursday.

And on Saturday, Italian journalist Gianluca Di Marzio claimed that Spurs are in ‘negotiations’ with Chelsea as they aim to strike an agreement at around the £40million mark.

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In an interview with CaughtOffside, Romano has confirmed that Postecoglou admires Gallagher. However, the transfer guru has attempted to end speculation that the two London clubs are in talks over the move.

“We also keep hearing about Conor Gallagher, but I’m not aware of talks taking place now between Tottenham and Chelsea for Gallagher,” Romano said.

Conor Gallagher ‘appreciated’ by Tottenham

“He’s appreciated by Spurs since last summer, Ange Postecoglou likes him, but there are no talks ongoing so far. Despite the speculation, there’s really not much more to say about it at this stage.”

Chelsea fans will be delighted if Spurs end up pursuing a different midfielder, as Gallagher has emerged into an integral player for the Blues. And Jamie Carragher has slammed Boehly and the Chelsea hierarchy for even considering the 23-year-old’s exit to a Premier League rival.

“Gallagher has been Chelsea’s best player this season along with Cole Palmer, this just shows what a mess the new ownership have made at the club,” Carragher wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

“Selling an academy player because it helps with FFP [frustrated emoji].”

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