Atletico Madrid are interested in signing Chelsea and England midfielder Conor Gallagher this summer, The Pitch Prospect has learned.
Gallagher is in the final year of his contract at Chelsea and there are no plans to negotiate a new deal.
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The future of the English international is uncertain, as a possible move for the midfielder has long been discussed.
However, Gallagher is said to be relaxed about his future.
Atletico urgently needs to strengthen its squad after five players have already left the club this summer, four of them on free transfers.
As Gallagher is an academy player, the sale would be a huge advantage for Chelsea in terms of compliance with the PSR rules, as the sale would represent a “pure profit”.
However, the 24-year-old has been a key player at Stamford Bridge and was the club’s de facto captain last season as first-choice captain Reece James and second-choice Ben Chiwell were unavailable for a significant portion of the campaign.
However, this was under Mauricio Pochettino, and new coach Enzo Maresca has not yet had the opportunity to get a close look at Gallagher as he is currently playing for England at Euro 2024.
Tottenham and Aston Villa have been linked with the Englishman, although they may already have signed players for his position.
Spurs paid £40m for Archie Gray last week, while Aston Villa snapped up Ross Barkley from Luton Town.
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Gallagher is a fan favourite at Chelsea and club legend Joe Cole has previously stressed that they cannot let him go.
The former England international told The Pitch Prospect last month: “Gallagher can’t go. I know there are financial issues but Conor Gallagher has been brilliant from start to finish.”
“Everyone has been playing in the last few weeks, but Conor is a great player when he’s playing in a team that’s struggling. Conor was still there and was captain too.
“I think it is imperative that the club keeps him.”
The midfielder missed just one Premier League game last season due to suspension and scored seven goals and assisted nine in all competitions.