Crystal Palace are reportedly in pole position to sign £35 million-rated Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher if he departs from Stamford Bridge this summer.
Crystal Palace are still interested in re-signing Conor Gallagher. That is according to Daily Mail, who claims that the Eagles will be ‘at the front of the queue’ to capture the Chelsea midfielder, with Patrick Vieira desperate to bring him back to Selhurst Park after a successful loan spell last time out.
After an array of loan spells with Charlton Athletic, Swansea City and West Bromwich Albion with varying degrees of success in his short Chelsea career, Gallagher spent the 2021/22 season at Crystal Palace. He was one of the breakout stars of the Premier League last term, forcing his way into Gareth Southgate’s England setup after notching up eight goals and five assists in 39 appearances at Selhurst Park.
Unsurprisingly, the 22-year-old’s attacking exploits have piqued the interest of a host of top-flight clubs up-and-down the country, with Everton, Newcastle United, and West Ham United all enquiring about Gallagher’s availability. However, it is former loan club Crystal Palace who are ahead of the competition in the race to secure Gallagher’s services if he does leave Chelsea again.
The 22-year-old midfielder quickly became a fan favourite at Selhurst Park last season for his buzzing attacking presence and relentless work-rate, and he was voted the club’s Player of the Season by fans. And Crystal Palace are expecting that his positive stint at Selhurst will hand them an advantage in the race to sign the Chelsea midfielder.
Patrick Vieira made no secret last season that he would want Gallagher to return for another year. But the English midfielder looks set to stay with Chelsea after making his first start for the west London club in their 3-0 defeat at Leeds United on Sunday, even though he has a £35 million price tag.
Gallagher featured heavily for Chelsea in pre-season and manager Thomas Tuchel currently has no plans to allow the 22-year-old to leave Stamford Bridge. They are missing N’Golo Kante and Mateo Kovacic due to injuries, with the duo set to miss significant action in the coming weeks, which has left them light in the middle of the park already. Allowing the England starlet to leave may come back to bite if injury issues rack up in that department.
When the big-hitters return, first-team action will be more difficult to come by for Gallagher. With a possible swoop for Barcelona’s Frenkie de Jong still in the pipeline, he would likely face an uphill battle to break into the Blues’ starting lineup.
Gallagher has three years left on his Chelsea contract and clearly wants to make his imprint at Stamford Bridge. But he is also eager to get first-team action under his belt, and he hopes to keep his place in the England squad ahead of the World Cup selection later this year.
Crystal Palace have made a strong start to the new season, with four points from three Premier League games so far. Gallagher’s signing would infuse pace, power and finesse into Vieira’s team, increasing their chances of finishing in the top half. However, much could hinge on Chelsea’s ability to get a deal over the line for Barcelona’s de Jong.
