Everton are still interested in signing Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher this summer, but the Blues will are unwilling to sell, according to transfer expert Dean Jones.
How much does Conor Gallagher earn?
The £17,000-a-week Englishman has had a frustrating time of things at Stamford Bridge since returning there last summer, following an excellent spell on loan at Crystal Palace in 2021/22,
Last season, Gallagher only started 18 Premier League matches, and while he featured in a further 17 from the substitutes' bench, he found it tough to ever be a regular under Thomas Tuchel, Graham Potter and Frank Lampard.
The 23-year-old is contracted to Chelsea until the summer of 2025, but he could possibly look for a new challenge before then, depending on how Mauricio Pochettino views him, in terms of his squad status. Everton have been linked with a move for him in the recent past, including in the January transfer window, and it appears as though they are not giving up hope yet.
Could Everton sign Conor Gallagher?
Speaking to Give Me Sport, Jones said that the Merseysiders are still pushing to sign Gallagher, but it won't be easy because of Chelsea's stubbornness on the matter:
"Conor Gallagher does not want to leave Chelsea so interest from Spurs, West Ham, Crystal Palace, Everton and Newcastle is all leading nowhere at this moment in time.
"This is a lad totally committed to establishing himself at the Bridge and while he will of course be open-minded further down the road if his path is totally backed, he’ll probably be in the starting line-up at the beginning of the season because there are no other options.
"Everton have been in touch over this one for the longest time and tried to sell themselves as a great platform for him to use to build his profile and standing in the game, and he would be pretty sure of game time week-after-week in their starting eleven.
"I don’t think Everton will totally let go of that hope until the window is closed but from Gallagher’s point of view, it’s not ideal. He would leave London for the right opportunity but is that it?"
While it seems clear that Chelsea are reluctant to sell Gallagher, considering he is a talented homegrown player, he could be a superb signing for Everton if the west Londoners' stance changes.
At 23, he still has so much of his career ahead of him, and he has already made 99 appearances in the Premier League, won seven caps for England and been hailed as "fantastic" by Potter, who also called him an "absolutely top" person.
Gallagher would provide that ability to score goals and register assists from midfield at Everton – something that has been sorely lacking for too long at Goodison Park – with his productivity in the final third highlighted by eight and three respectively in the league during his loan spell with Palace.
It is clearly going to be hard for the Blues to get their man, but these are the level of players they need to be attempting to sign, in order to avoid another relegation battle.