Exclusive: Chelsea confident of tying down key player to new contract
Conor Gallagher, Enzo Fernandez shake hands with opposition
Chelsea are growing in confidence that they will reach an agreement with England star Conor Gallagher over a new deal, sources have told TEAMtalk.
Chelsea have made it clear to Gallagher that they want him to stay but with little over 18 months left on his current deal, they are eager to get him tied down.
The Blues are keen to avoid any player running down their deals and moving into the final 12 months of their contract and are eager to get Gallagher to put pen to paper on an extension. They believe the player has developed into a key performer under Mauricio Pochettino.
Sources close to Chelsea told TEAMtalk: “The club want it doing, Gallagher is a huge popular player in the squad and the fact he has been given the captain’s armband is a huge sign of how the manager views him.
“The club don’t want a repeat of the Mason Mount situation, they don’t want to or plan to lose Gallagher.”
The 23-year-old has been part of Chelsea for the majority of his playing career but spent several seasons out on loan to gain valuable first team experience, enjoying spells at Charlton, Swansea, West Brom and most recently Crystal Palace in the 2021-22 season where he was a standout performer for the Eagles.
The midfielder returned to Chelsea last summer and made 45 appearances across all competitions last term, with three goals and one assist in those outings. So far this term, Gallagher has racked up 14 appearances with three assists in those outings.
The centre-mid has also been capped at senior level for England 10 times and has once again been called up into Gareth Southgate’s squad for their upcoming Euro 2024 qualifiers against Malta and North Macedonia.
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Chelsea tracking midfield targets
Gallagher’s rise at Chelsea has not put the club off adding more strength and depth in the middle of the park and the Londoners have been eyeing up defensive targets looking ahead to the winter and summer windows.
Rising Corinthians star Gabriel Moscado has emerged as a target for the Blues, with Liverpool and Barcelona among several top clubs interested in a deal for the centre-mid. Xavi’s Barcelona side are believed to be incredibly keen to strike a deal for the 18-year-old who has been watched by almost every elite club.
Florian Wirtz of Bayer Leverkusen is another name on the list for Chelsea looking ahead to the summer window with the club having more pressing issues to attend to in January. The struggles in front of goal have put the London club on a mission to bring in a top striker and proven goalscorer in the winter window.
Adding a defender to their ranks will also be a key area to add depth in January with Fluminense reportedly keen on snatching Thiago Silva, who has played in every league game so far this term, at the end of the current campaign.
