- Conor Gallagher is on his way to Spain to finalise his move to Atletico Madrid
- The Chelsea midfielder was in Madrid last week before the proposed deal stalled
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Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher has been given permission to fly to Madrid for a second time to finalise his €40million (£34m) move to Atletico.
Homegrown Gallagher was in the Spanish capital last week but returned to London when his proposed transfer was complicated by Chelsea’s talks over Atletico’s Samu Omorodion collapsing.
Yet with Chelsea now set to sign Joao Felix instead, Gallagher has been given the green light to travel, ending an association with the Blues which began when he joined the academy at the age of six.
The fee that Chelsea will receive is lower than the one they accepted from Aston Villa earlier in this summer window. Gallagher resisted that move, but will now link up with a new manager in Diego Simeone who privately told him in talks how much he wanted to work with him.
That included when it looked like the deal was in danger of collapsing after he flew back from Madrid to London.
Former Chelsea captain Conor Gallagher is set to leave Stamford Bridge after his proposed move to Atletico Madrid was resurrected
English midfielder Gallagher, 24, has played 95 first-team games for Chelsea after coming through the club’s youth system
Atletico manager Diego Simeone is very keen to work with Gallagher in the Spanish capital
The news of Gallagher’s departure will disappoint a large number of Chelsea fans who have grown dissatisfied with how many of their own they are selling.
Supporters funded a gigantic banner for Gallagher at the end of last season when, under Mauricio Pochettino, he was key to them securing European football amid a run of Premier League victories.
As he is homegrown, he will represent pure profit for Chelsea. Head coach Enzo Maresca previously blamed the Premier League’s rules, saying it is not the club’s fault that the financial regulations are set up in this way.
Gallagher was previously warned while his team-mates were on their pre-season tour of the United States that he would not be a starter in Maresca’s midfield.
It was felt that he does not suit the possession-based style of play the club are looking to implement and so he was told his long-term future lied elsewhere.
