Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher is closing in on a transfer to Atletico Madrid to put an end to several weeks of speculation surrounding his future in west London.
The former Crystal Palace loanee’s move to Spain is in its final stages and while his sale would help the Blues alleviate from their financial distress a little bit, they plan on reinvesting a part of the funds on bringing in a replacement.
According to The Sun, they are plotting Matt O’Riley’s signing from Celtic after he enjoyed an impressive campaign in the Scottish Premiership last season.
O’Riley is firmly within Brendan Rodgers’ plans for the 2024/25 campaign and it would take a fee northward of £20 million to convince his employer to sell.
The 23-year-old could also be open to the prospect of heading to Stamford Bridge, although it is expected that he would only do so subject to guarantees over his role in the first-team.
O’Riley would be a perfect Gallagher replacement
Conor Gallagher played as a deep-lying central midfielder at Chelsea for much of last season and was a fairly consistent contributor in the final third as well.
O’Riley has an almost identical profile as he too played in most of his appearances last season as a number six, while contributing to an attractive 19 goals and 18 assists in all competitions for Celtic.
For a player in that position, the London-born midfielder’s disciplinary and fitness records provide for good reading as well, as he received only four yellow cards throughout last season and did not miss a single match due to being injured or suspended.
It is a testimony that Enzo Maresca would be able to call upon him in the busiest and most difficult spells of the season, just like Mauricio Pochettino did with Gallagher in 2023/24.
A £20 million price tag should not be much of an issue for Chelsea, whereas Maresca will also find no problems in fitting in the high-quality Danish international in his squad.
Hence, a move to west London may only be a matter of time for O’Riley as concrete negotiations could commence following Gallagher’s switch to Atletico Madrid.
