Chelsea respond to Aston Villa approach for Conor Gallagher

Aston Villa have made a move to sign Conor Gallagher from Chelsea (Getty)

Chelsea will demand a £50 million fee for Conor Gallagher following an approach from Aston Villa.

The midfielder has just a year left on his contract with Chelsea and the club are unwilling to see him leave on a free transfer next summer.

Gallagher has not given any indication that he wants to leave Stamford Bridge but a sale for Chelsea this summer would represent pure profit in their accounts as the club look to avoid breaching the Premier League’s Profitability and Sustainability Rules.

It’s understood that Aston Villa have now made an approach to Chelsea for Gallagher and are keen for a deal to move quickly given Tottenham’s previous interest.

Chelsea are looking to hold out for a £50m fee for Gallagher, meanwhile, The Guardian reports that Villa could offset that valuation by including striker Jhon Duran as part of the deal.

Chelsea had considered a move for Duran in the January transfer window. The 20-year-old, who has eight caps for Colombia, joined Villa in an £18m deal from Chicago Fire in January 2023 and scored eight goals in his first full season in the Premier League.

Aston Villa could include striker Jhon Duran as part of their deal with Chelsea (PA)

Meanwhile, Gallagher has welcomed Chelsea’s appointment of Enzo Maresca as Mauricio Pochettino’s replacement.

‘Really exciting,’ Gallagher said of Maresca’s arrival.

‘I’ve heard really good things and I’ve seen really good things.

‘Myself and everyone at Chelsea are really happy and excited to work with him.’

Asked if Maresca’s appointment represents a new start for Chelsea, Gallagher said: ‘Yeah, exactly.

‘We want to get Chelsea back to where they belong.

‘So hopefully with the new manager we can start to progress and get to where we belong.’

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