Chelsea had agreed a £34.5m deal for Samu Omorodion but the deal collapsed due to contractual issues; Conor Gallagher had been set to sign for Atletico Madrid for £36m but that deal is now in jeopardy; Chelsea are in talks to re-sign Joao Felix from the Spanish side
Wednesday 14 August 2024 08:53, UK
Conor Gallagher returned to England on Tuesday night after spending five days in transfer limbo in Madrid.
The England international will attend Chelsea's Cobham training ground on Wednesday. If he trains, he is expected to do so with a separate group from the first team that includes Armando Broja and Trevoh Chalobah.
Gallagher's proposed £36m transfer to Atletico Madrid is on hold after the deal for Samu Omorodion to join Chelsea from the LaLiga side collapsed on Sunday.
Gallagher had already passed a medical and agreed a five-year contract with Atletico after arriving in Madrid late last week.
The midfielder was also pictured in the Wanda Metropolitano by the club and around the capital by sections of the Spanish media.
Chelsea are trying to negotiate the signing of Joao Felix instead but his valuation is substantially higher than the £34.5m agreed for Omorodion.
Sources in Spain believe Atletico want in excess of £50m for Felix, who scored four goals in 20 games while on loan at Chelsea in the second half of the 2022/23 season but was not retained following the appointment of Mauricio Pochettino.
It is expected there will be a resolution to Gallagher's future before the window closes on August 30, and a move to Atletico remains possible.
However, Atletico need further cash to complete the deal, with UEFA and LaLiga financial regulations an ongoing issue to manage for the Spanish side.
LaLiga provide clubs with individualised spending limits at the start of each season.
Omorodion's move fell through due to contractual issues - but did not prevent Atletico signing Manchester City forward Julian Alvarez for £82m on Monday.
Omorodion scored eight goals in 35 LaLiga appearances last season while on loan at Alaves.
Chelsea unveiled their 10th summer signing on Sunday in Wolves winger Pedro Neto, who has joined in a £54m deal.
The Blues have already added Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Filip Jorgensen, Omari Kellyman, Aaron Anselmino, Renato Veiga, Caleb Wiley, Marc Guiu and Tosin Adarabioyo during this transfer window.
A deal has also been agreed for Palmeiras teenager Estevao Willian, who will arrive next summer.
However, Chelsea have been unable to agree a new contract with Gallagher, who graduated from the academy at Cobham but has just one year remaining on his deal.
Gallagher rejected a move to Aston Villa earlier in the window, while there has also been interest from Tottenham.
Meanwhile, Broja is ready to move to Stuttgart - who are in early talks to sign the Chelsea striker - according to Sky Germany.
Sky Sports News reported this summer that Broja is on the shortlists at Everton and Southampton, among others.
