Conor Gallagher ultimatum! Atletico Madrid push midfielder to make transfer decision - but he's still open to Chelsea stay despite being banished from first-team

According to Sky Sports,the Spanish club have made their intentions clear, urging the young midfielder to make a choice by the end of the weekend. Chelsea's new manager, Enzo Maresca, has indicated that Gallagher will have a squad role in the roster in the next campaign as the Italian's possession-based style is unsuitable for the English midfielder. Nonetheless, the player remains open to extend his stay at west London.

Chelsea had made an initial offer four days before Euro 2024 commenced, which Gallagher declined. The second, identical offer came just this week, preceding Chelsea's agreement with Atletico Madrid, which the player turned down as well. He remains adamant about signing a long-term deal with Chelsea, aligning with the contract lengths of other midfielders at the club and not a two-year deal with the option of a third year.

Chelsea are scheduled to meet with him soon, aiming to resolve the ongoing situation. Meanwhile, Atletico had an earlier €30 million (£25.4m/$33m) bid rejected but remain persistent in their pursuit, aware of Tottenham Hotspur's interest as well. A new €40m (£33.9m/$42m) agreement with Chelsea has been reached, although personal terms with Gallagher are still under negotiation.

Chelsea are meanwhile keen to avoid a repeat of past scenarios where players like Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen left on free transfers. The club are determined not to let Gallagher's contract run out next summer and end up losing him for free. The financial package Chelsea offered Gallagher is competitive, matching the salaries of their highest-earning midfielders and comparable to offers from other interested clubs.

As a free agent next summer, Gallagher could receive numerous offers or even earlier in January from other suitors. He is striving for regular playing time, which he knows will be hard to come by as the arrival of Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall has intensified the competition for midfield positions. Chelsea want to offload him soon, preferably to a foreign entity, rather than a Premier League rival. Hence Atletico continue to lead the race ahead of Tottenham, who are also monitoring the situation.