Diego Simeone wants his man! Atletico Madrid boss reassures Conor Gallagher he is desperate to complete transfer for Chelsea midfielder

Chelsea and Atletico Madrid had agreed a £33 million ($42m) deal for Gallagher to join the Spanish club and the England midfielder even flew to visit the Metropolitano Stadium while the move was finalised. But complications in Samu Omorodion’s switch the other way have left the saga in doubt. According to The Telegraph, Atletico head coach Simeone got in touch with Gallagher before he flew back to the UK to reassure him that he was still keen to get a deal done.

Gallagher was reportedly barred from first-team training, so his return to west London marks an awkward moment for both the club. The deal is not currently dead but the 24-year-old is wasting valuable time with his potential new team as the two parties work to find a solution.

Gallagher captained Chelsea for the majority of the 2023-24 campaign while regular skipper Reece James and vice Ben Chilwell were sidelined with injury. Despite his loyalty to the club, the Blues are still working hard to get the midfielder out the door and are now believed to be working to sign Joao Felix from Atletico instead of Omorodion in an effort to revive Gallagher's desired move to Spain.

Atletico Madrid will have been hoping to have Gallagher settled in by the time their La Liga opener against Villarreal comes about next Monday but it looks to be a tough ask. The Cobham academy graduate has returned to training with Chelsea and can only wait to see if an agreement with the Spanish side can be reached.