Aston Villa set eyes on Conor Gallagher transfer amid £50m Chelsea swap deal potential
The Blues could let go one of their most productive stars in the summer in a bid to balance out their books
Aston Villa are reportedly interested in signing Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher this summer in a move that could see one of their own stars go the other way to Stamford Bridge.
The England international, who is set to captain the Blues this weekend against Bournemouth, could play his final game for his boyhood club after failing to make headway around a new contract, with his current deal set to expire next year.
Talks around a potential new deal for the 23-year-old have been ongoing for over a year now, but with no progress having been made, rumours of an exit from Stamford Bridge have gathered pace in recent weeks with Aston Villa now seemingly at the centre of it all.
Unai Emery’s side secured Champions League qualification over Tottenham in midweek following Spurs’ 2-0 loss to Manchester City, allowing them extra pull when it comes to making deals in the upcoming transfer window. Spurs were originally first in line for Gallagher’s services when rumours around a potential move away cropped up last summer but now seem to have fallen behind if there is to be a race this summer.
There is understood to be a good relationship between the two boards at Chelsea and Villa, who could offer up young striker Jhon Durán as an added incentive, a former target of Chelsea’s from the January transfer window earlier in the campaign.
It is unclear whether Chelsea still has any interest in Durán after Nicolas Jackson has impressed over his last few performances, but it is highly unlikely they would consider any sort of swap deal including Gallagher given that would mean the club couldn’t take advantage of his ‘pure profit’ status as an academy product in accordance with the Premier League’s Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSRs).
