Aston Villa are determined to add a midfielder to their ranks as soon as possible.
Unai Emery‘s side are strongly linked with a move for Luton Town’s Ross Barkley following a season in which he showed his quality despite his side’s relegation.
With Premier League and UEFA spending rules complicating this summer’s transfer business, Aston Villa are expected to have to sell one or two important players in order to make any marquee signings.
This is not what Villa would have hoped for following their qualification for the Champions League, with the likes of Douglas Luiz and academy graduate Jacob Ramsey potential departures to balance the books.
However, their midfield efforts are not focused solely on Barkley, with a move for an England international reportedly on the agenda.
Aston Villa hold ‘total’ interest in Conor Gallagher
Chelsea are in a similarly tricky position regarding their finances and may have to move on one of their homegrown talents to spend on other areas of their squad.
Conor Gallagher looks the most likely despite wearing the captain’s armband for the bulk of last season under the now-departed Mauricio Pochettino.
Now, transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has provided an update on the future of the 24-year-old who is set to play at this summer’s European Championships in Germany.
Romano posted an update on his ‘Daily Briefing’: “At the moment, the Conor Gallagher situation has gone completely quiet because he is still really focused on Chelsea.
“Conor is not desperate to leave Chelsea. He loves the club so he would be more than happy to stay and fight for them as he’s always, always showing.
“But at the same time, there is interest from Aston Villa and there is interest from Tottenham. They already wanted Conor Gallagher one year ago and were considering him as a top target, but then Chelsea decided against selling him last summer.
“Now the situation is really open again around Conor Gallagher because Villa’s interest is total. Chelsea’s position is clear. They want more than £50m for Conor because they see him as a really important player.”
Will Aston Villa really spend over £50m on Gallagher?
Given Chelsea are looking for over £50 million this does make a deal difficult.
If Villa were to sign Gallagher for the touted fee then it would take up a significant chunk of their transfer budget.
However, if they are to sell either Luiz or Ramsey – or even both – they would receive sizeable fees so it could simply come down to how desperate Emery is to sign the midfield live-wire.
With Barkley potentially joining and a right-back high on the agenda, you would imagine a left-back and at least one of a centre-back, winger and a striker would also be forthcoming, so Villa may have to be astute.
Gallagher is undoubtedly a very good player though, with Pochettino labelling him ‘priceless’ in February as he said: “I think he is a player with a great commitment to the team.”
“He is always trying to compensate in every situation, in offensive and defensive situations. It’s priceless to have a player like him.”
Priceless to Pochettino may not mean priceless to incoming manager Enzo Maresca and owner Todd Boehly, though.
Tottenham’s interest could drive the price up slightly, but Villa having Champions League football, as well as Chelsea’s rivalry with their fellow London residents, could see the Midlands club favourites for Gallagher’s signature.
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