Everton transfer news: Conor Gallagher now in line to leave Chelsea, £45million Toffees bid was accepted in January
Conor Gallagher is set to leave Chelsea this summer after remaining at Stamford Bridge in January when Everton had a bid accepted, the Daily Mail reports.
The England midfielder had been a target for Frank Lampard and negotiations were in progress during the winter window as the Toffees were ready to commit £45million to the deal.
Gallagher wanted to fight for his place in Graham Potter’s squad at the time, despite it now being clarified that a big-money bid from Everton was in fact accepted.
Chelsea are now forced to move players on this summer to recoup some of their staggering spend of over £600million this season, and as a homegrown player the 23-year-old would represent total profit.
The Mail reports that the accepted bid in January is a “clear indication they thought he was the easiest homegrown talent to sell”, with a second report from the same publication noting that the “signs are ominous” for the former Crystal Palace loanee.
Both claim that Borussia Dortmund, Brighton and Newcastle are currently interested, but Everton are not now included in the race, while Merseyside rivals Liverpool have reportedly not made a recent enquiry.
Missed opportunity
It is a sign of how bizarre this season has been, with Chelsea and Everton two of the biggest reasons, that virtually all the elements of this potential transfer have changed so drastically.
Just over three months ago Lampard was hoping that big money from the Toffees would be enough to save their season with the addition of the ball-playing midfielder, but his compatriot didn’t want to leave.
Now, the former Goodison Park boss is back in charge at Stamford Bridge, Gallagher has been unable to do anything to rescue their season on the pitch – three defeats from three so far for Lampard – and he will now probably have to move whether he wants to or not with European football extremely unlikely next season.
At the same time, surprising as it was then, the idea that Everton can splurge £45million on anyone has taken a hit with the Premier League since deciding that the assurances they had given everyone on the Toffees spending were no good and referring them to an independent commission over a potential FFP breach [Athletic, 16 April].
Meanwhile, while midfield hardly looked like the area that needed strengthening the most in January, Sean Dyche suddenly finds himself with a gaping hole in the middle of his team after Abdoulaye Doucouré was suspended and Amadou Onana injured.
If the current boss can emulate his predecessor and find a way to keep the club in the Premier League there will have to be transfer business done.
In theory, Gallagher may be more well-disposed to a Goodison move by now, but so much has changed in the past three months that the prospect of a revival seems highly improbable, and targets may well be on a cheaper scale.