Chelsea make MAJOR transfer ultimatum to £50m star: report

By Tom Hancock
published

The summer transfer window looks set to be a pivotal one for the Blues

COBHAM, ENGLAND - JANUARY 5: Head Coach Mauricio Pochettino of Chelsea attends a press conference at Chelsea Training Ground on January 5, 2024 in Cobham, England. (Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images)
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Chelsea will tell Conor Gallagher to extend his contract or leave the club this summer, according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano.

The England midfielder, 24, was heavily linked with a move to the Blues' London rivals Tottenham during the January transfer window.

Gallagher is out of contract at the end of next season, and Chelsea will not want to lose him for free in any circumstances.

LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 23: Conor Gallagher of Chelsea during the Carabao Cup Semi Final Second Leg match between Chelsea and Middlesbrough at Stamford Bridge on January 23, 2024 in London, England. (Photo by Vince Mignott/MB Media/Getty Images)

Gallagher has made 31 appearances for Chelsea this season (Image credit: Getty Images)

As an academy product, Gallagher would represent pure profit for the Blues in the event that he was sold – and that's something that cannot be sniffed at by the two-time European champions as they try to operate within Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules.

Chelsea are said to value the former Crystal Palace loanee at £50m – and this summer could be crunch time. Romano told CaughtOffside:

"Conor Gallagher is another at Chelsea continuing to attract headlines, but it's [his contract situation] another that's not resolved yet. Despite reports from some sources that Chelsea have now decided to sell the midfielder, there's nothing confirmed yet. We will see in the next months.

"At the moment, Gallagher's contract situation remains the same; of course, if he arrives to June/July out of contract in 2025, it will be again an 'extend or sell' situation for Gallagher. But nothing is concrete at this stage; in January, we had 100 rumours per day, but nothing happened – not even negotiations."

LONDON, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 17: Conor Gallagher of England in action during the UEFA EURO 2024 European qualifier match between England and Malta at Wembley Stadium on November 17, 2023 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Neal Simpson/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images)

Gallagher has won 11 caps for England (Image credit: Getty Images)

Following loan spells at Charlton, Swansea, West Brom and Palace, Gallagher made his senior Chelsea debut on the opening weekend of the 2022/23 Premier League season.

He has gone on feature 76 times for the Blues, playing a key part under Mauricio Pochettino this term and regularly wearing the captain's armband.

More Chelsea stories from FourFourTwo

Mauricio Pochettino says he has grown tired of having to 'explain' Chelsea's poor season.

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And the Blues are reportedly set out to miss on a wonderkid who wants to join a 'big club'.

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Tom Hancock

Tom Hancock started freelancing for FourFourTwo in April 2019 and has also written for The Analyst and When Saturday Comes, among others. He supports Wycombe Wanderers and has a soft spot for Wealdstone. A self-confessed statto, he has been known to watch football with a spreadsheet (or several) open...