Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher could now be available this summer in a move which may interest Everton.
Indeed, the Toffees reportedly had a £45m bid accepted for the England international during the January transfer window, but the 23-year-old decided to fight for his place at Stamford Bridge.
That is according to the MailOnline, who report that Chelsea’s recent spending means they could be under Financial Fair Play scrutiny, and so will look to offload some home-grown talent at the end of the current campaign.
The report states: “Chelsea also accepted a £45m bid in January from Everton, where Lampard was then manager, in another clear indication they thought he was the easiest homegrown talent to sell. Yet Gallagher wanted to fight for his place.”
Indeed, Everton bid for the English midfielder when the club was managed by Frank Lampard, who is now of course Chelsea’s interim coach following the sacking of Graham Potter.
Whether Everton would be tempted to reignite their interest this summer under Sean Dyche remains to be seen, but Gallagher is without doubt a talented young player who could shine at Goodison Park.
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Everton will be looking to rebuild at the end of the season and with Abdoulaye Doucoure’s current contract set to expire and with the prodigious Amadou Onana linked with a move elsewhere after just one year on Merseyside, Gallagher could well be the ideal replacement.
With two years remaining on his current deal, Conor Gallagher would still cost a decent chunk of Everton’s transfer kitty, but with Chelsea eager to sell, there could be flexibility on January’s £45m valuation.
A lot will depend on the future of Amadou Onana, who has been linked with Stamford Bridge, and so Gallagher could easily be included in a part exchange deal, should an approach be made for the Belgian international.
Of course, Everton will first need to secure Premier League safety to acquire a player of Gallagher’s quality this summer, and must first face Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park this Saturday.