Conor Gallagher: Tottenham face two huge hurdles to sign £45m Chelsea midfielder

Conor Gallagher is reluctant to leave Chelsea this month, amid interest from Tottenham.

Spurs are long-term admirers of Gallagher but any prospect of a late move for the midfielder hinges on them offloading Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, which looks unlikely.

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Gallagher has captained Chelsea this season in the absence of the injured Reece James and he has been a regular starter under Mauricio Pochettino.

The 23-year-old faces an uncertain future, with Chelsea seemingly prepared to sell him, but he sees no reason to leave this month despite having 18 months left on his contract.

There has been dialogue between Chelsea and Gallagher's representatives to extend his deal, but little progress has been made.

Tottenham tried to sign Gallagher last summer and remain interested in a move for him if they can offload Hojbjerg.

But Hojbjerg's lawyer Lars Halgreen has said the midfielder has no intention of leaving Spurs this month.

"The player never asked to leave now," Halgreen said. "He's very ambitious for Tottenham and Denmark, [and] continuing to improve. His only focus is Tottenham to finish the season well and to help as much as possible.”

Chelsea could still be inclined to accept a bid of around £45m for Gallagher but would rather sell either Armando Broja or Trevoh Chalobah to balance the books.