Chelsea respond after Aston Villa table club-record bid for Conor Gallagher
Chelsea had accepted a club-record bid from Aston Villa for Conor Gallagher but he decided to stay at Stamford Bridge, according to Ben Jacobs.
The journalist reported via X on Thursday (1 August) that Unai Emery’s side were set to pay a record fee for the England international in June, but the midfielder rejected a move to Villa Park.
Gallagher is understood to have rejected a new deal at Stamford Bridge, with the Blues now agreeing a package with Atletico Madrid upwards of £34million however personal terms haven’t yet been agreed.
Enzo Maresca’s side would prefer to sell the midfielder to a club outside of the Premier League this summer, despite the fact Atletico’s offer is understood to be much lower than the one made by Villa.
Will Conor Gallagher exit Chelsea after Aston Villa transfer rumours?
Gallagher would have been an excellent addition to Emery’s midfield this summer as his energy and aggressive style would have been a perfect fit in the Spanish manager’s system.
Judging by what Jacobs has reported, the Villans did everything they possibly could to try and get a deal over the line. For whatever reason, a move to Villa Park just didn’t appeal to Gallagher and there is nothing anyone could do to change that.
Luckily, Villa have moved on quickly and they have already managed to form a midfield that will be a force to be reckoned with in the Premier League and Champions League alike in the coming months.
Amadou Onana, Ross Barkley and Enzo Barrenchea alongside the likes of John McGinn and Boubacar Kamara have what it takes to have a huge impact this season. Gallagher would have been a nice bonus, but not a necessity.
It will be interesting to see where the Chelsea man ends up when the transfer window slams shut this summer. Perhaps he could live to regret snubbing the opportunity to work under Emery at Aston Villa.
In other Aston Villa news, Dejan Kulusevski has been backed to “easily” fit into Emery’s team at Villa Park after a Tottenham exit update
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