Conor Gallagher officially leaves Chelsea after 18-year career with an ugly transfer saga

Atletico Madrid have completed the signing of Conor Gallagher from Chelsea in a deal worth £34m.

The Blues are set to sign Joao Felix for £46m to enable him to move and end an unpleasant transfer saga.

Gallagher was indeed Forced out by his boyhood club after refusing to sign a new short-term contract.

The 24-year-old was flown back and forth to Madrid and left out of Enzo Maresca's training sessions as talks between the two clubs briefly broke down.

Chelsea were initially expected to buy Samu Omorodion as part of the Gallagher deal, but the move felland Felix will now return from Atlético.

The Portuguese forward, who joined Atletico in a £113million deal in 2019, spent a short loan spell at Stamford Bridge in 2023 and scored four goals in 16 Premier League appearances.

Ultimately, Felix failed to live up to expectations in Spain, and also spent time on loan at Barcelona amid a tumultuous relationship with manager Diego Simeone.

Meanwhile, Gallagher has signed a five-year contract with the La Liga giants and joins his teammate at the Three Lions. Jude Bellingham in the Spanish capital.

He Chelsea An academy graduate who joined the club at the age of six, he burst into the first-team picture in 2019 but was loaned out on four separate occasions before finally being given a chance in the Blues' senior side.

Gallagher had become the face of the club's homegrown talent amid the birth of a new Chelsea led by owner Todd Boehly.

However, having entered the final year of his contract, Chelsea were desperate to cash in on the player, who will go down in history as “pure profit”, to help keep in line with the Profit and Sustainability Rules.

Aston Villa made a club-record bid for Gallagher earlier this summer, which Chelsea accepted, but the Englishman has been reluctant to join another Premier League club.

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The club have spent more than £1bn on transfers since Boehly took over in May 2022 and academy graduates have been used to fund the spending spree, much to the chagrin of fans.

Trevoh Chalobah, who has been at the club for 17 years, looks almost certain to leave this summer despite his success with the first team last season.

For Atleti coach Simeone, Gallagher's energy and his gladiatorial spirit are a perfect combination.

Gallagher symbolises a regeneration at Atlético Madrid, where Simeone has meticulously planned to reduce the average age of his squad.

The Englishman will add strength to an ageing midfield that has already seen Saul loaned to Sevilla for the 2024/25 season, while Koke, Marcos Llorente and Rodrigo De Paul are all 29 or older.

The transfer brings to an end an 18-year association with Chelsea and Gallagher will no doubt have some regrets about how his time at Chelsea played out.

A player who did and said the right things, protected the club and, above all, cared, will leave the club with his best years ahead of him.

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