Chelsea reject West Ham United transfer bid for Conor Gallagher
According to ESPN, Chelsea have turned down a bid from West Ham United worth £40 million for midfielder Conor Gallagher in the ongoing summer transfer window. The Blues are demanding a fee in the region of £50 million to part with the Cobham graduate.
Chelsea are open to selling the England international, who is currently on a pre-season tour of the USA. Mauricio Pochettino has also spoken out due to a lack of midfielders and it remains to be seen if Gallagher’s potential exit will see us move fast to bring in reinforcements.
The 23-year-old enjoyed decent playing time last season, making 18 Premier League starts for the Blues. The midfielder was also pursued by Everton in January, but the Blues turned down their £45 million offer.
Another Premier League club keen on signing is Tottenham Hotspur. The Hammers, meanwhile, sold Declan Rice to Arsenale earlier this summer and are hoping to find his ideal replacement. Given that the Hammers are flush with cash from the transfer, we have every right to dig in our heels and demand more.
Gallagher, who is 23 years old, could get regular game time at West Ham, while at Chelsea he might have limited minutes on the pitch. This is especially true if we buy Moises Caicedo. The Blues are looking to revamp their midfield after selling first-team players Mateo Kovacic, Mason Mount, and N’Golo Kante in the summer window.
Gallagher and Enzo Fernandez remain the only first-team players, while the likes of Andrey Santos, Cesare Casadei, and Carney Chukwuemeka could be sent on loan to aid their development.
Given that he is only 23 and has not yet reached his peak, £50 million seems like a fair price for the player. Gallagher can develop into a complete midfielder under the right manager, and West Ham might match his price given that they made a significant profit on Rice’s exit.
Hopefully, the Hammers will submit a higher offer to persuade the Blues to sell the midfielder so that we may sign Caicedo, who has been our top target for the summer transfer window, with the money we make from Gallagher’s sale.
More Chelsea News
- Chelsea are open to paying €90 million for Moises Caicedo’s acquisition
- Leicester City interested in signing Chelsea midfielder Cesare Casadei on loan
- Dean Jones says Chelsea could send Carney Chukwuemeka on a loan
But it’s acceptable if the Blues decide to keep the midfielder, as we are currently short on options in the role. To sell him without bringing in players to reinforce the squad would be madness. After all we are just weeks away from the season opener against Liverpool.