Chelsea’s swoop for Cole Palmer may open possibility of Gallagher leaving if Spurs offer near £50 million for England international
Tottenham are weighing up a late transfer window bid for Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher, with an official offer set to be tabled for Nottingham Forest forward Brennan Johnson.
Gallagher captained Chelsea in the club’s Carabao Cup victory over Wimbledon on Wednesday night and has started every game under new head coach Mauricio Pochettino.
But Chelsea’s swoop for Cole Palmer from Manchester City has encouraged Spurs to discuss a late effort to try to sign Gallagher. The 23-year-old is happy at Chelsea and willing to fight for his place, but the arrival of Palmer will provide extra competition.
Palmer is believed to have been told that Chelsea see him competing for a place in the No 10 and right-wing positions, which are two spots Gallagher can fill.
Having agreed a deal with City worth up to £45 million for Palmer, the 21-year-old is scheduled to undergo a medical ahead of formally moving to Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea last month rejected a bid from West Ham United, worth £40 million, for Gallagher and would turn down a similar bid from Spurs.
But Tottenham may give Chelsea something to think about should they bid anywhere near £50 million for England international Gallagher.
It remains to be seen whether or not Spurs will formalise their interest in Gallagher, as the club look to beat Brentford to the signing of Forest star Johnson.
Sources close to the Johnson situation expect Tottenham to make an offer for Johnson on Thursday, with the player keen on a move to North London.
The scale of Tottenham’s late business may be impacted on how many players they can offload before the window shuts. Spurs need to get rid of at least three overseas players to avoid a headache over their 25-man squad.
Premier League clubs are allowed to name 17 foreign players over the age of 21 in the 25-man squads and Tottenham currently have 20 on their books.
Tottenham are open to offers for Hugo Lloris, Sergio Reguilon, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Davinson Sanchez, Bryan Gil and Ivan Perisic as they look to shed their squad before the closure of the transfer window on Friday night.
