Chelsea had earlier agreed to transfer captain Conor Gallagher to Atletico Madrid this month, but the situation has since become complicated. Valencia’s sporting director, Miguel Angel Corona, has revealed that Atletico Madrid tried to withdraw from the Gallagher deal, a situation that unfolded while Atletico struggled to sign Valencia’s Javi Guerra.
Corona shared details via Relevo: “I’m going to try to give an objective account of the facts. An agreement was reached on Sunday between [Valencia president] Lay Hoon Chan and the majority shareholder of Atletico Madrid, and the documentation was being filled out with the player. On Wednesday morning, due to the delay in the return of the documents, Atletico Madrid were asked what the situation was and they told us that they were trying to get out of the Chelsea deal with Gallagher. It was the first news that we and Javi Guerra had on the matter, that both operations were linked, and we got out of it. There had been a constant exchange of calls, WhatsApp messages… And at no time had they notified us.”
Gallagher reportedly rejected a contract extension offer from Chelsea earlier this summer and has since been excluded from the first-team squad, potentially paving the way for a £33 million ($42m) transfer. Although Chelsea’s treatment of the 24-year-old has been questionable, a completed transfer could offer a fresh start for Gallagher.
Chelsea is keen to finalize the transfer swiftly, either to invest in new players or to address concerns over Profit and Sustainability Rules. If the deal goes through, Gallagher could make his debut for Atletico later this month.