Atletico Madrid tried to cancel Gallagher transfer to finalise Guerra deal – Valencia sporting director
Valencia’s sporting director, Miguel Angel Corona, has claimed that Atletico Madrid tried to cancel Conor Gallagher’s impending transfer from Chelsea to facilitate a move for Javi Guerra.
Gallagher is set to complete his move to Atletico after travelling to Spain to seal his €42million transfer from the west London club. The Athletic reported last week that the Spanish side were in advanced talks with Chelsea about signing Gallagher after a fee was agreed between the two clubs.
While Atletico were pursuing Gallagher, they were also in advanced talks to sign midfielder Guerra. The Athletic reported earlier this week that they had agreed on a fee of around €25m (£21.4 million) plus add-ons, with Valencia holding a sell-on clause of around 15 per cent for the 21-year-old. However, the deal fell through after Valencia imposed a deadline on Wednesday for Atletico to finalise the transfer, threatening to withdraw if the conditions were not met. Sources close to Valencia, Atletico, and Guerra, who were not authorised to speak publicly on the matter, confirmed that the move collapsed.
Corona has since stated that Valencia “were not informed of anything regarding the link between the two” transfers. Atletico sources previously admitted that it would be “complicated” for the Guerra and Gallagher deals to both go ahead.
Guerra’s move to Atletico has fallen through (Ricardo Larreina/Europa Press via Getty Images)
“There is a maximum agreement (between clubs) on Sunday, plus it was between the president of Valencia and the maximum shareholder of Atletico Madrid,” Corona said. On Monday, the documentation is developed and, in the same way, it goes in parallel with the player, who is advancing in this negotiation and almost closes the agreement.
“On Wednesday morning, due to the delay in the return of Atletico’s documents and some comments made, a specific question was asked to Atletico’s owner, about the situation, why the delay, and the answer was that they were trying to get out of the Chelsea operation and that, if they don’t succeed, they can’t face the Javi Guerra operation.
“It was the first news that we and Javi had about it, that the operations were linked, and therefore we (Valencia) got out of it because it was not a condition that was discussed on Sunday, Monday or Tuesday, when there were constant WhatsApps, emails, calls, comments on clauses…. We were not informed of anything regarding the link between the two and we got out of it to protect ourselves.”
Chelsea are unaware of Atletico attempting to cancel Gallagher’s deal, while Atletico sources say their sporting management were exploring various options before Valencia informed them on Wednesday that they were no longer honouring the agreement for Guerra.
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Having rejected three offers of a new contract, which included a two-year guarantee with an option for a third year, and would have put him on wages comparable to top earners like Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo, Chelsea indicated to Gallagher that he would be sold to avoid risking losing him on a free transfer next summer.
Gallagher is expected to sign a five-year deal with Atletico. The 24-year-old enjoyed an impressive 2023-24 season, providing seven goals and nine assists in 50 appearances across all competitions.
That form earned him a key role in Gareth Southgate’s squad for the European Championship in Germany, where he made five appearances in England’s run to the final.
(Top photo: David Horton – CameraSport via Getty Images)
