The England international could be available for £45m.
Everton are reportedly considering returning for Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher after failing in their pursuit of the England international last winter, according to recent reports.
Is Conor Gallagher leaving Chelsea?
According to transfer insider Dean Jones – speaking to GIVEMESPORT – the Toffees remain ‘in touch’ with the 23-year-old after offering a £45m package back in January, to no avail.
Reports claim that Premier League outfits Aston Villa, Brighton & Hove Albion, Liverpool, Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United have also earmarked the ace, though Jones highlights Everton’s lasting interest as possibly a defining factor if push does indeed come to shove.
The journalist said: “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 XI.
“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.”
How good is Conor Gallagher?
If the opportunity to finalise a deal for Gallagher arises for the Goodison Park side, there is no doubt that owner Farhad Moshiri would pounce like a cheetah to provide his club with a robust new central focal point.
Chelsea are in the process of trimming their refractory squad after a dismal campaign that left the club mired deep in mediocrity, with a 12th-placed league finish resulting in a failure to qualify for European football next term, but co-owner Todd Boehly is targetting top-class upgrades and names such as Moises Caicedo and Mohammed Kudus are at the forefront of the transfer reckoning.
And while the seven-cap Gallagher appears to relish the opportunity to stake his claim for a prominent role in Mauricio Pochettino’s team, after making just 18 league starts last term this might ultimately prove fruitless.
And especially after receiving scathing remarks from the likes of Darren Bent, who called the ace a “fish out of water” having floundered at the epicentre of the Blues’ seasonal woes.
Everton could provide a lifeline; the Merseyside club have put in the groundwork and would be able to offer the £50k-per-week star a starring role to spearhead their own resurgence after spending the past two terms battling against relegation.
He could even emulate Romelu Lukaku’s blistering success after swapping Chelsea blue for Everton’s, with the high-profile forward completing a £28m move in 2014 – a club record at the time – and scoring 87 goals and supplying 29 assists from 166 matches.
The 30-year-old machine had been on the west London giants’ books for three years prior but had played a peripheral role – though he did find success during a loan spell with West Bromwich Albion, where he plundered 17 goals from 35 top-flight matches. As it happens, the Hawthorns was also a former temporary home for Gallagher himself
It was a loan move to Crystal Palace during the 21/22 campaign where the England international really made his mark, recording an impressive average Sofascore rating of 7.08 after scoring eight goals from 34 games, also completing 81% of his passes and averaging two tackles per outing.
Earning praise for his “relentless work rate” by one analyst after his successful spell at Selhurst Park, perhaps a permanent transfer to a team like Everton would not be such a bad move; Dyche is known for his dogged determination and success in instilling tenacity throughout his squad.
It could well be a match made in heaven, and it could provide Gallagher with the perfect platform to truly kickstart his career and forge a path towards the very top, just like it did with Lukaku.
