COME BACK CON
Conor Gallagher flying back to London with THREE transfers all in tatters as Chelsea face nightmare situation
Failing to sell Gallagher could see Chelsea lose him for free next summer
CONOR GALLAGHER is on his way back to Chelsea with his £35million move to Atletico Madrid in tatters.
The frustrated midfielder is caught in the middle of a muddled transfer tangle between the two clubs.
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It comes after days of wrangling over deals for three different players with Gallagher now heading back to Stamford Bridge in limbo.
Chelsea were hoping to sell Gallagher and sign Atletico Madrid striker Samu Omorodion.
They turned to forward Joao Felix when that move crumbled but the Spanish side wanted £15m in cash too as a part-exchange.
Chelsea saw all three deals as entirely separate but Atletico Madrid took the opposite view and now all deals are off.
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And England star Gallagher is now heading home and will rejoin the Chelsea squad under new boss Enzo Maresca and prepare for Sunday’s Premier League season opener against Manchester City.
It is hugely frustrating for the long-serving star having spent five days in the Spanish capital meeting Atletico’s directors and visiting the club’s stadium.
It is a nightmare for Chelsea too as Gallagher is now entering the final year of his contract and they risk losing one of their key players for nothing on a free transfer at the end of this season.
Gallagher, 24, has the advantage of being able to walk away for nothing next summer if a deal to find another club for him cannot be sorted.
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He has been at Chelsea for 16 years since he was eight and played many games last season as captain of his boyhood club.
He is also popular with the fans for his work ethic and the fact he came through the ranks at Stamford Bridge.
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Chelsea have been trying to offload Gallagher for a number of transfer windows now after failing to agree a new contract with the player.
Tottenham, Everton, Newcastle and West Ham have all been linked with him in the past.
He flew to Madrid last Friday expecting to rubber stamp a move to Spain’s La Liga but complications set in when Chelsea could not close a deal for striker Omorodion.
They were keen to sign Felix, who spent half a season on loan with them from January 2023.
But even that now looks dead in the water, leaving Gallagher no choice but to head back and fight for his place in the team under new boss Maresca.
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