Chelsea star suffers blow as contract talks with the club collapse - Reports
Chelsea star Conor Gallagher's hopes of striking a new deal with the club has reached an impasse, according to Football Insider.
The midfielder is into the final months of his contract, which is due to expire in June. He's reportedly keen to stay on following what's been a successful campaign for him on a personal level.
However, the Blues might be forced to sell him in order to cut their financial losses. Last year, Chelsea registered losses worth £90.1 million and another £121.4 million throughout the 2021-22 season. Gallagher's fee will contribute towards these losses, and Premier League's rules allow a club a maximum of £105 million loss over three years before facing a points deduction.
This means Gallagher could be among the first players to be sold by the Londoners before the June cut-off date. Football Insider reports that sources close to the club revealed that talks of a new deal with the 24-year-old have reached an "impasse".
Chelsea's city rivals Tottenham Hotspur are said to be monitoring his situation closely, with Football Insider revealing in February that the Lilywhites have a "concrete interest" in Gallagher.
Either way, the west London side will be losing a key player, as he's been fantastic. He's struck four times for the club in all competitions this season while bagging six assists. Only Cole Palmer (17), Raheem Sterling (12) and Nicolas Jackson (11) have registered more goal contributions than him.
Are Chelsea set for another summer clear-out?
Following a multi-million dollar spending spree that yielded little success, Chelsea looked to cut their losses by selling a host of players last summer, including many big names such as Edouard Mendy, Hakim Ziyech and Kai Havertz.
While it might have helped them reduce their wage bill, it hasn't really helped them on the pitch, with their young guns struggling to produce their best on a consistent basis. That's excluding Cole Palmer, who has truly come of age this season.
Chelsea have accrued only 36 points from 26 games and languish in 11th position, having won only 10 games so far. Clearly, there's been hardly any improvement from last season when they finished 12th in the league.
This could signal another summer of changes at the club, with many underperformers given the door, and newer talents roped in. However, without any European football, it will be difficult to convince the big names to make the switch to Stamford Bridge.