Conor Gallagher to fly home and protect well-being after Atletico Madrid move stalls

Conor Gallagher is due to fly back to London on Tuesday night after being left in limbo over his proposed £33.7 million move to Atletico Madrid from Chelsea.

Midfielder Gallagher had spent almost a week in Madrid waiting to seal his move, which stalled when Chelsea’s move for striker Samu Omorodion collapsed.

In the early hours of Tuesday morning it was decided by all parties that Gallagher should return to England and wait for updates from there, rather than having to stay in a hotel.

The decision and Gallagher’s return to the UK completes a remarkable sequence of events that saw Omorodion fly back to Spain after travelling to London with the intention of completing his switch.

A hitch at the final hurdle prevented Omorodion from completing his transfer and Gallagher must now wait to see whether or not Atletico push the green button on his move.

Gallagher passed a medical and all the documents between the clubs had been prepared until the collapse of Omorodion’s move left Atletico needing to raise funds to complete the transfer.

Unable to train with the Madrid squad, Gallagher was allowed the use of an Atletico pitch to maintain his fitness on his own. He is now expected to train with Chelsea’s Under-21s, which includes a group of unwanted players, in England.

Chelsea still believe that Atletico want to complete the transfer and remain committed to the deal themselves, but the Spanish club need to sell at least one player.

The collapse of Omorodion’s switch from Atletico to Chelsea stalled Gallagher’s move with the midfielder in the dark over the Spanish club’s bid to send Joao Felix to Stamford Bridge.

Until Chelsea can agree a deal for Felix or Atletico quickly find a new buyer for Omorodion, then Gallagher’s move remains in doubt.

Gallagher turned down a move to Aston Villa earlier in the transfer window and has rejected two identical contract offers from Chelsea that were made directly after the club accepted bids from Villa and Atletico.

He was warned that he would not be able to train with the first-team squad or use the first-team facilities if he did not agree a contract or secure a move away. Trevoh Chalobah was last week barred from Chelsea’s first-team facilities and has been training with the development squad, along with Romelu Lukaku and Armando Broja.

Tottenham Hotspur held a long-standing interest in Gallagher, but did not make a formal offer for the midfielder before Atletico agreed a deal in principle with Chelsea.

Chelsea have held talks with Atletico about re-signing Felix, which would push through the Gallagher deal, while Aston Villa have also been tracking the Portuguese.

Felix has indicated a willingness to take a pay cut to rejoin Chelsea, where he spent half a season on loan in 2023.

Meanwhile, Cole Palmer has signed a two-year contract extension, including an increase to his wages, which commits him to Chelsea until 2033.

Telegraph Sport had revealed how Chelsea were keen to reward Palmer for his superb debut season at the club with incremental pay rises and extensions to his contract.

Palmer’s latest deal means his contract runs for the next nine years and Chelsea see him as being a key player for the club for the next 10 years.