Chelsea are keen on Celtic midfielder Matt O’Riley as they assess potential replacements for Conor Gallagher according to Sky Sports.
The Blues have agreed a fee worth around £34 with Atletico Madrid for the England international, who is expected to give his final answer on Monday.
Gallagher’s future has been a topic of conversation for the last 18 months and it’s been reported that he rejected three offers of a new contract from Chelsea.
O’Riley a potential Gallagher replacement
Chelsea have only offered Gallagher a two year deal with the option of a further 12 months as they have doubts over his suitability for Enzo Maresca’s system.
The new deal would see a pay rise for Gallagher, but he’s believed to want a longer term deal like many of his team-mates have signed.
If Gallagher decides to join Atletico Madrid it remains unclear if Chelsea would go into the market for a replacement given the options they have in the middle of the park.
However, Sky Sports have reported that Celtic midfielder O’Riley is one of several options the Blues are keen on.
O’Riley impressed for Celtic in their 4-1 win over Chelsea in pre-season, and he’s attracted interest from Serie A side Atalanta as well as newly promoted Southampton.
The 23-year-old scored 19 goals in 49 appearances in all competitions for Celtic last season and is under contract with the Scottish Champions until 2027.
It doesn’t make a huge amount of sense for Chelsea to replace Gallagher if he departs given they have already signed Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and they also have talented youngster Andrey Santos on their books.
Not to mention the club also have Carney Chukwuemeka in the squad so the need for another midfielder seems unnecessary, but Chelsea have done a lot of things in the market that don’t make sense.
If a move for O’Riley were to materialise it would be hard to view it in any other way than just stockpiling talent.
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