Postecoglou pushing hard to sign rivals’ star for Tottenham amid claims price has fallen to shock new low

Tottenham are growing in optimism that they can convince Chelsea to part with Conor Gallagher this summer amid claims the Blues may be reluctantly forced into his sale – and for a price far lower than initially expected.

The Aussie has done a stellar job in his opening season in north London, despite initial scepticism over Daniel Levy’s decision to raid Celtic for the 58-year-old. Not only has Postecoglou won hearts and minds with his style of football at the club, he has also become something of a media darling for his no-nonsense, down-to-earth approach.

However, he will ultimately be judged – as all Tottenham managers before him – on the club’s abilities to also win a trophy, with the club’s hopes now over, or as good as over, for another season.

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They could, of course, still the Premier League title, though go into their next fixture against Crystal Palace on March 2 at least 13 points adrift of table-toppers Liverpool. Truth be told, a top-four finish this season would represent an excellent first season in charge – with the time to be judged over winning trophies for Postecoglou coming in the seasons ahead.

To help Spurs achieve their dream this season, Postecoglou would have loved to have brought in another midfield option, having spent a fair portion of the January window trying to sign England man Gallagher.

Ultimately, and despite the Chelsea board’s apparent willingness to sell, Mauricio Pochettino got his way and managed to keep hold of the midfielder and a man who has been a regular in his side this season.

At the time, any such deal would have set Tottenham back around £50m – a price deemed too high for Levy and Co.

Postecoglou pushing hard to sign Chelsea man Gallagher in summer

However, it’s now come to light that a summer deal for Gallagher could set Spurs back far less than initially expected.

Come the summer window, the 24-year-old’s deal at Stamford Bridge will have just a year left to run.

As a result, transfer journalist Dean Jones claims hope is growing that a move across London to Spurs could be on the cards after all.

And Postecoglou may only need to fork out a reduced fee to convince their London rivals to cash in.

“His value is dropping. You could say his realistic value in the market is around £30m or £35m at the moment, and I think Tottenham would be willing to pay that,” Jones told Givemesport.

“They weren’t willing to go up to £50m in January. That’s why nothing ever came about, and I think that will remain the case.

“It’s an interesting one, but Tottenham definitely do hold a level of interest. They are just being a bit tentative at the moment about when they actually make their move.”

Spurs have already moved to sign Lucas Bergvall ahead of the summer window but any deal for Gallagher would likely mean the end of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.

The Dane has fallen down the pecking order under Postecoglou but still gets regular action, often off the bench. But in order to reach the next level, Postecoglou clearly sees an upgrade in Gallagher and someone much more in keeping with the club’s high-tempo style.

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