Chelsea request return flight for Conor Gallagher after five days 'in limbo' at Madrid hotel with £34m Atletico transfer in real danger of collapsing

The English midfielder was on the verge of completing a transfer to Atletico after the Spanish side and Chelsea agreed on a transfer deal worth £34 million (€39.3m/$43.1m). Accordingly, the player reached Madrid five days ago to undergo his medical, however, Fabrizio Romano now reports that the Blues have asked Gallagher to return to London amid the risk of the deal collapsing at the last moment.

Complications arose after Samu Omorodion's move to Stamford Bridge collapsed and it stalled progress on the Gallagher deal. As per the latest reports, Atletico are also currently in talks with Chelsea over sending Joao Felix back to Stamford Bridge. The Spanish club will have to make a sale before they can fund the transfer for Gallagher.

Per Fabrizio Romano, the Premier League giants will treat the two transfer transactions separately and Felix could move back to Stamford Bridge for an initial fee of £40million (€46/$50m). However, the player will have to take a significant pay cut to fit into Chelsea's wage bill.

The 24-year-old will now have to wait for the Felix deal to be completed before he gets a clear picture of his future, with it still possible that he could remain at Chelsea for the start of the new Premier League season.