Aston Villa are reportedly interested in Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher as Unai Emery looks to strengthen his midfield options ahead of next season.
The 24-year-old has established himself as a key figure at Stamford Bridge, making 50 appearances across all competitions last season as he contributed seven goals and nine assists to go with his defensive influence.
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Villa are undoubtedly in need of addressing our midfield this summer, as given the injury suffered by Boubacar Kamara and absences of the likes of Youri Tielemans and Douglas Luiz during this past season, it highlighted our lack of quality depth and competition in that department, particularly from a defensive perspective.
In turn, it would make sense for the club to be interested in Gallagher, as The Independent report that Villa are weighing up a move for the England international in the coming weeks, but both clubs do have Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) concerns which could influence possible transfers.
It’s added that Chelsea need to make a big sale before June 30 to try and balance their books and reduce their recorded losses, while Emery is said to be keen on Gallagher as he believes that the tenacious midfielder could be a good fit for our squad.
Time will tell if the pieces fall into place for Villa to be able to make an acceptable offer and push forward with our touted pursuit, but it’s clear to see why Emery would be interested.
Gallagher’s ability to be a box-to-box presence in midfield coupled with his tenacity and energy to cover ground and provide a defensive presence in that area of the pitch as well as pressing higher up the pitch, would all make him an important signing.
Villa will look to compete across multiple fronts again next season, including in the Champions League, and so we’ll undoubtedly be in need of reinforcements this summer to strengthen the squad and help us challenge across four competitions.
However, much will depend on how restricted we are in terms of spending, as even if an agreement can be reached for Gallagher, it remains to be seen if we’d then be forced into a sale to ensure we don’t fall foul of PSR and risk sanctions.
