Chelsea insiders have refused to rule out the possibility of Todd Boehly signing a £162,000-per-week star as well as Samu Omorodion, coming after the club reached an agreement with Atletico Madrid over Conor Gallagher's sale.
Conor Gallagher agrees terms to join Atletico Madrid
The west Londoners actually shook hands on a fee with Atletico last week, but it was Gallagher holding up the deal, as he decided whether to accept the La Liga side's advances and leave boyhood club Chelsea.
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It was never a foregone conclusion that the 24-year-old, who was a mainstay under Mauricio Pochettino last season, would leave Stamford Bridge easily. Aston Villa had a club-record bid for Gallagher accepted in June, but the England international opted to stay, and could've chosen to reject Diego Simeone as well.
Cole Palmer
7.48
Conor Gallagher
7.13
Nicolas Jackson
7.07
Moises Caicedo
6.85
Noni Madueke
6.84
However, over the weekend, news broke that Gallagher agreed terms with Atletico Madrid on a five-year contract, with the former Crystal Palace loanee rejecting enquiries from two clubs in the Premier League top six to make the move to Spain.
"Conor Gallagher is flying to Madrid today after agreeing terms with Atletico Madrid on a five-year contract," said journalist Ben Jacobs on Monday.
"Chelsea have given him permission to travel and undergo a medical after clubs agreed a €40m fee. Both #CFC and Atletico had given Gallagher until the end of the weekend to make a decision.
"Understand two other top six clubs made enquiries in the last few days, but Gallagher wanted to either move to Atleti or extend at Chelsea. 2+1 extension remained on the table. With only one year left, Chelsea intent on resolving Gallagher’s future this window."
Reliable transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano backs Gallagher is set to sign for Atletico, while it is also believed that a player of theirs could well be heading the other way. After Chelsea had a bid rejected for Omorodion earlier in the window, Romano claims they're closing in on a £35 million deal for the striker.
Chelsea had been in talks with Napoli over Victor Osimhen since last week, but the move for Omorodion may not actually have an impact on it.
Chelsea could sign Osimhen as well as Omorodion
According to a report in The Telegraph and by journalist Matt Law, Chelsea insiders have refused to rule out signing Osimhen alongside Omorodion before deadline day on August 30 – which is fairly promising news for Enzo Maresca.
The £162,000-per-week striker has been one of Serie A's most prolific scorers since joining from Lille in 2020, and the Blues are attempting to strike a deal which would see Romelu Lukaku head the other way and sign for Antonio Conte.
Chelsea want Osimhen on an initial loan deal, believing they can carry three strikers into next season if Nicolas Jackson plays more out wide. This move could impact their search for a right-winger, though, if they do decide Jackson can feature on the wing so they can get Osimhen through the door.
