Conor Gallagher’s transfer to Tottenham collapses as Chelsea midfielder stays put on deadline day
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg’s exit falls through with £20m defender Lloyd Kelly also not joining
Tottenham has called time on transfer deadline day moves for Chelsea’s Conor Gallagher and Bournemouth center-half Lloyd Kelly after failing to move on their unwanted players.
Spurs had hoped to complete eleventh-hour deals for the English pair but they have not been able to offload Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, who rebuffed interest from Fulham, or Eric Dier.
The agreement was contingent on Hojbjerg finding a new team. Earlier on Friday, Spurs made a verbal offer of £40 million to Chelsea for Gallagher, whose future had been cast into doubt by the Blues’ signing of Cole Palmer from Manchester City.
The midfielder turned down offers from Fulham, while Spurs and Atletico Madrid, who were considering a last-minute loan move for the player, could not come to an agreement. Hojbjerg has two years left on his contract, and Spurs wanted to include a buy-back clause, but Atleti could not come up with a reasonable offer.
Hojbjerg is now expected to remain at Spurs and will likely sit on the bench for Burnley’s Premier League match on Saturday.
Spurs also had a bid for Bournemouth’s Kelly rejected on the final day of the transfer window, but gave up after failing to offload Dier. The deal was reportedly in the neighborhood of £20 million. The fate of Davinson Sanchez was still up in the air as the deadline of 11 p.m. BST approached, and PSV Eindhoven was showing interest.
Dier was proposed as a makeweight to Fulham and Bournemouth in separate transactions, but he would have only left Tottenham for a significant transfer this summer. He is now anticipated to run out his contract and go on a free transfer in a year.
Brennan Johnson is scheduled to have a medical on Friday night before moving from Nottingham Forest to Tottenham for a reported £45 million.
While Hugo Lloris’ contract year may be terminated by Spurs if they are unable to find a buyer for their former captain, Harvey White is still hoping to leave before the deadline.
