‘Not hanging around’ – Chelsea face race against time to complete transfer

The pressure is on for Conor Gallagher to seal his Chelsea exit, with Atletico Madrid unwilling to wait around for the player, according to Matteo Moretto. 

Gallagher has been edging toward the Stamford Bridge exit door this summer after reportedly rejecting a new three-year Chelsea contract, with the likes of Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur heavily linked with the midfielder.

However, Atletico Madrid have emerged as the frontrunners and on Wednesday it was suggested they had agreed a deal worth €40m for the 24-year-old — who featured five times in England’s run to the Euro 2024 final this summer.

But even that move now looks in jeopardy, with Gallagher — who is in the final 12 months of his contract — taking time for careful consideration over his next move, Chelsea applying pressure to get the deal done and Atletico Madrid unwilling to wait around for too long.

Atletico Madrid ‘not hanging around’ for Gallagher

“As things stand, Atletico Madrid have already made an offer to Conor Gallagher, and they have already reached an agreement with Chelsea. They are just waiting on a response from Gallagher and his agents. The Chelsea midfielder is thinking over things carefully,” Moretto told Fabrizio Romano’s Daily Briefing.

“He knows there is a lot of pressure from Chelsea to do the deal, because they do not want him to go to a competitor, and that the only side that have made an offer that has satisfied Chelsea’s demands is Atletico – so there is a lot of pressure to get the deal done.

“But as I say, this could change rapidly, we still don’t have the green light from the player. We are still waiting, but I don’t think Atletico will hang around long for an answer either.

“With Gallagher, he knows that his time at Chelsea is most likely up. The matter is not so much whether he wants to go to Atletico or not, but he is weighing up the fact that in six months time, he could sign a deal with anybody, and potentially earn a good bit more money. The prospect of being a free agent is the main obstacle right now for Atletico.”

Gallagher has been at Chelsea since the age of eight, making 95 senior appearances for the club across all competitions, registering 10 goals and 10 assists along the way.