Game over for Chelsea star, as West Ham shove Tottenham aside for first of two major signings
A Chelsea star has accepted an exit must occur, and West Ham are primed to surge clear of Tottenham in the race to complete the cross-London signing, per a report.
The Blues have seen their midfield ranks decimated this summer. Mateo Kovacic (Man City), Ruben Loftus-Cheek (AC Milan), N’Golo Kante (Al Ittihad) and Mason Mount (Man Utd) have all departed.
Younger talent such as Cesare Casadei, Andrey Santos and Carney Chukwuemeka are picking up the slack in pre-season. However, Mauricio Pochettino has called upon Chelsea to make midfield additions as soon as possible.
As such, it comes as something of a surprise to learn Chelsea have seemingly greenlit Conor Gallagher’s exit.
The 23-year-old has two years remaining on his current deal and per the Evening Standard, is unlikely to be offered an extension.
With that in mind, Chelsea are willing to cash in this summer and both Gallagher and Pochettino have accepted an exit will take place.
Gallagher might not have far to travel before finding his next club, with London rivals West Ham and Tottenham both showing interest.
Newcastle previously tried to sign Gallagher last summer, though their move for Sandro Tonali has removed them from the race this time around.
Per the Standard, it’s the cash-rich Hammers who are poised to take the lead and leave Spurs in their dust.
West Ham have cash to splash on the back of selling Declan Rice to Arsenal for a package worth £105m. According to the Standard, manager David Moyes not only aims to sign a direct replacement, but also a second midfielder too.
The Hammers have already bid £45m for Fulham’s Joao Palhinha. The offer was rejected, though might not be West Ham’s last.
Alternatives in the holding midfield position include Edson Alvarez and Denis Zakaria. Regarding the second midfield addition who’d assume more of a box-to-box role, Gallagher appears to be the frontrunner ahead of James Ward-Prowse of Southampton.
The Standard didn’t state how much Chelsea would command for Gallagher, though a prior report from Sky Germany did.
They claimed the Blues have slapped a hefty £40m valuation on Gallagher. However, a more realistic fee in the region of £21.7m-£30.4m could be enough to seal a deal.
