Conor Gallagher is poised to join Tottenham from Atletico Madrid in the coming days with an agreement between the two clubs reportedly close. The energetic England international, formerly of Chelsea, has fallen out of favour in Spain and Spurs have submitted an offer just shy of £35million for the 25-year-old, which Atletico are expected to accept.
Aston Villa had also shown strong interest in signing Gallagher in the January transfer window but no agreements were reached. And that has allowed Tottenham to swoop in. They look set to bring the player back to England after 18 months in La Liga. Gallagher had been a regular under Diego Simeone in his first season at the Wanda Metropolitano, making 50 appearances, but has struggled for minutes in his second campaign.
The player who Atletico spent £38million to sign in the summer of 2024 has only started four times in La Liga this term. He started the Supercopa de Espana semi-final loss to Real Madrid in Saudi Arabia last Thursday but is now expected to move on.
The Athletic say Gallagher is keen to make the move back to London and Atleti are expected to accept Spurs' £34.7m bid. He will be hoping to put himself back in the picture for the England squad ahead of this summer's World Cup.
Gallagher has 22 caps for the Three Lions but has not represented his country since playing 59 minutes of the defeat to Senegal last June. Thomas Tuchel's men have since won six matches in a row, while not conceding a single goal, and Gallagher has not been in any of the German's last three squads.
Spurs are looking to strengthen their midfield with Rodrigo Bentancur facing over three months out injured. The Uruguayan international requires hamstring surgery after suffering an issue in the defeat at Bournemouth last week.
The north London club have also lost Mohammed Kudus to a long-term injury this month. The Ghana winger will not return until after the March international break due to a thigh problem.
Gallagher's imminent arrival comes at a time when manager Thomas Frank is under increasing pressure. The former Brentford boss has overseen a disappointing start to the season. Spurs sit 14th in the Premier League table after 21 games, having only won seven.
They crashed out of the FA Cup at the third-round stage on Saturday, losing 2-1 at home to Aston Villa. Frank's men were also dumped out of the Carabao Cup in the fourth round away at Newcastle. In the Champions League they have won three of six matches and sit 11th in the table.
That means they will face a two-legged playoff to reach the round of 16 as it stands, with wins likely needed over both Borussia Dortmund and Eintracht Frankfurt to secure a top-eight finish in Europe.
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