Aston Villa could land cut-price Conor Gallagher deal amid new update from Spain
Aston Villa are continuing to work on a deal to sign Atletico Madrid midfielder Conor Gallagher.
The former Chelsea ace has fallen out of favour under Diego Simeone and could be on the move in the winter transfer window.
Villa were linked with Gallagher in 2024 and it appears the England international is back on their transfer wishlist.
Indeed, Villa are pushing to sign Gallagher on loan with an obligation to purchase at the end of the campaign.
The fee Atletico are holding out for Gallagher is proving a sticking point, but that may be about to change amid a new update coming out of Spain.
Aston Villa could land Connor Gallagher for less than £26m
Unai Emery’s need to sign Gallagher has only increased after Boubacar Kamara suffered an injury in Villa’s 2-1 win over Tottenham on Saturday, seeing the Villans advance to round four of the FA Cup.
Atleti paid £33million to sign Gallagher from Chelsea in August 2024 and are eager to recoup as much of that as possible.
However, an update via Spanish outlet Marca’s print edition on Sunday suggests the figure Atletico are holding out for is fluid.
Rather than £26m being a set fee, the report suggests Los Rojiblancos could possibly let him go for less as they are after “around” that amount.
It means Villa could potentially try to haggle that fee down closer to the £20m mark, potentially making this a deal that goes right down to the wire to see who blinks first.
The report adds, though, that a deal does still look “difficult to achieve” at this stage.
The big reason Gallagher will want Aston Villa move
First and foremost, Gallagher will simply want to be playing more regular football.
The 25-year-old has started just four LaLiga matches this season, with his other 15 outings in the competition coming as a substitute.
| Conor Gallagher | 2025-26 |
| La Liga apps | 4 (15) |
| Champions League apps | 3 (3) |
| Supercopa de Espana apps | 1 |
Gallagher will still have half an eye on making England’s World Cup squad, but there is no chance of that happening if he is not starting regularly.
Should he get a move to the Premier League, and play more regularly, Gallagher will instantly propel himself into Thomas Tuchel’s thoughts.
In many ways it is a transfer that suits all three parties – Gallagher, Atletico and Villa – so fingers crossed an agreement can be struck before 2 February.
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