Chelsea to receive ‘take it or leave it’ transfer bid for key player amid contract feud

Atletico Madrid are working hard to bring in a new midfielder and exit-linked Chelsea star Conor Gallagher is at the top of their shortlist, per reports.

The England international has just 12 months remaining on his contract and as previously reported, the Blues are prepared to sell him if he doesn’t pen fresh terms soon.

Gallagher’s wage demands are higher than what Chelsea are willing to pay and some members of the board are eager to offload him because he’s an academy graduate and the sale funds would go down as pure profit on the account books.

Reports suggest that Chelsea have put a price tag of roughly £34m on Gallagher and Atletico have already seen a bid of £16.8m rejected for him.

They have identified Gallagher and Real Sociedad star Mikel Merino as their two top midfield targets, with Merino also of interest to Arsenal.

Tottenham are also admirers of Gallagher and have been heavily linked with the midfielder for several months, but are yet to make a concrete bid for him this summer.

Atletico are considered favourites to sign the 24-year-old but won’t pay over the odds to secure his signature.

READ MORE: Tottenham eye bargain signing of La Liga winner after rival move stalls; Chelsea, Aston Villa also in mix

Atletico Madrid to launch final offer for Chelsea star

According to reports from Spain, Gallagher is the ‘most liked player’ by Atletico’s recruitment department and they are set to send another bid for the Chelsea star.

The new amount they will put on the table is yet to be revealed but they seem unwilling to match the Blues’ £34m price tag.

Gallagher’s potential departure would leave a big void in Enzo Maresca’s squad.

Despite Chelsea’s willingness to sell him, he made 50 appearances for them last season, scoring seven goals and making nine assists, and will be very difficult to replace.

The Blues could also lose another midfielder in Lesley Ugochukwu this summer, who TEAMtalk can confirm is a target for Everton.

It’s suggested that Atletico’s next offer for Gallagher will be a case of ‘take it or leave it’ for Chelsea so it will be interesting to see how much they bid.

Chelsea’s negotiating position on Gallagher will weaken towards the end of the window if they are unable to convince him to drop his wage demands and sign a new contract.

Talks over a new deal are ongoing behind the scenes but Atletico could influence Gallagher’s decision should he be tempted by working under Diego Simeone.

The Spanish club will hope to push for silverware this season and their recruitment team believes the Euro 2024 finalist can help them achieve that.

When asked about his future in an interview before the Euros, Gallagher said: “I’m a Chelsea player right now, and I’m just thinking about England and the tournament.”

DON’T MISS: Tantalising Tottenham XI to lead Postecoglou to promised land and end 16-year trophy wait