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Enzo Maresca has provided an update on Conor Gallagher’s future amid reports the Chelsea star has been ‘banished’ from training.
Gallagher’s time at Chelsea appears to be all but over after the club agreed to sell him to Atletico Madrid for £34million.
The England international is free to negotiate personal terms with the La Liga giants but has thus far shown reluctance to leave his boyhood club.
But on Friday reports emerged suggesting the Blues were trying to force out the 24-year-old who shone under Mauricio Pochettino last season.
Gallagher was told he is unlikely to play a prominent role under new manager Maresca, owing largely to the Italian’s possession-based tactics.
But The Sun have since claimed that Chelsea’s hierarchy have ‘banished’ the midfielder from the first-team training after he rejected two contract offers from the club.
If he chooses not to stay in west London, the Blues want to sell Gallagher now rather than lose him on a free next summer when his current deal expires.
Speaking from Chelsea’s pre-season tour of the USA, Maresca refused to confirm or deny that Gallagher had indeed been barred but was confident a solution will be found very soon.
‘At the moment, there is not any update on that,’ the manager said.
‘The only thing I can say is that he was in contact with the club to find a solution. I don’t think it’s something new.
‘In football, every summer, different clubs have some problems with some players, and then at the end, they find a solution and everyone is happy. Hopefully the same can happen in this situation.’
It is said Atletico have told Gallagher he must make a decision on whether to sign for them or not by the end of the weekend.
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