Conor Gallagher officially leaves Chelsea as 18-year career ends with unsavoury transfer saga – and Joao Felix heads the other way
Atletico Madrid have completed the signing of Conor Gallagher from Chelsea in a deal worth £34million.
The Blues have signed Joao Felix for £42m to enable to move and end an unsavoury transfer saga.
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Gallagher was effectively forced out by his boyhood club after refusing to sign a new short-term contract.
The 24-year-old was flown to-and-from 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 fell through, and Felix will now rejoin from Atletico instead on a six-year contract.
The Portugal forward, who signed for Atletico in a £113million deal in 2019, spent a brief spell on loan at Stamford Bridge in 2023 and scored four goals in 16 Premier League appearances.
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Felix ultimately failed to live up to expectations in Spain, also spending time on loan at Barcelona, amid a tumultuous relationship with manager Diego Simeone.
Gallagher, meanwhile, has signed a five-year deal with the La Liga giants and joins Three Lions teammate Jude Bellingham in the Spanish capital.
The Chelsea academy graduate who joined the club at the age of six, broke into the first-team picture in 2019 but was loaned on four separate occasions before eventually being handed a shot in the Blues senior squad.
Gallagher had become the face of the club's homegrown talent, amid the birth of a new Chelsea led by owner Todd Boehly.
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However, having entered the final year of his contract, Chelsea grew desperate to cash-in on the player, who will go down as 'pure profit', to help stay in line with Profit and Sustainability Rules.
Aston Villa made a club-record bid for Gallagher earlier this summer, which Chelsea accepted, but the Englishman was reluctant to join another Premier League club.
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The club have spent more than £1billion on transfers since Boehly took the reigns in May 2022 and academy graduates have been used to fund the spending spree, much to the disgust of fans.
Trevoh Chalobah, who has been at the club for 17 years, looks all-but certain to depart this summer despite first-team success last season.
For Atleti boss Simeone, Gallagher’s energy and gladiator-like spirit is a match made in heaven.
Simon Jordan labels Conor Gallagher as 'mediocre' after signing for Atletico Madrid and thinks Chelsea could surprise people this season
Gallagher symbolises a regeneration at Atletico Madrid where Simeone has planned meticulously to lower the average age of his squad.
The Englishman will add legs to an ageing midfield which has already seen Saul loaned to Sevilla for the 2024/25 season while Koke, Marcos Llorente and Rodrigo De Paul are all aged 29-year-old and upwards.
The transfer brings to an end a 18-year association with Chelsea and Gallagher will no doubt have some regrets over the way his time at Chelsea played out.
A player that did and said the right things, protected the club and above all else, cared, will depart the club with his best years ahead of him.
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