Chelsea ‘offer’ England star who ‘won’t play again’ at Euro 2024 in ‘incredible’ swap for Barcelona Star Boy
Rumors are circulating that Chelsea has proposed a player-plus-cash deal to acquire Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo, which would involve including England midfielder Conor Gallagher in the transfer.
Since Todd Boehly and his consortium assumed control of Chelsea in May 2022, the club has spent over £1 billion. However, the team’s performance on the field has yet to reflect this significant investment, much to the frustration of Chelsea supporters.
This summer, Chelsea has been very active in the transfer market, having already secured the signings of Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Marc Guiu, Omari Kellyman, and Tosin Adarabioyo.
Despite these acquisitions, it appears Chelsea is not finished making moves in the transfer market. After the end of the season, they appointed Enzo Maresca as their new manager following Mauricio Pochettino’s departure by mutual consent.
During this transfer window, several players, including Thiago Silva, Hakim Ziyech, Ian Maatsen, Lewis Hall, and Omari Hutchinson, have left Chelsea. There have also been persistent rumors that Gallagher might be sold to help the club comply with profit and sustainability regulations.
Moreover, reports from Spain suggest that Chelsea has increased its offer for Barcelona center-back Araujo, proposing what is described as a “fantastic” deal for the Uruguayan international.
Barcelona president Joan Laporta and sporting director Deco are reportedly open to the possibility of selling Araujo this summer if the right offer comes along, as Chelsea continues to push for his signing.
Boehly is aiming to reach an agreement with Barcelona to reduce the transfer cost significantly. His strategy includes offering a star player who might be of interest to Barcelona’s coach, Hans-Dieter Flick, and is considered surplus to Maresca’s requirements. The Catalan club has indicated that they would demand between €90 million and €100 million for Araujo.
Gallagher is the player Boehly is willing to trade, following Dewsbury-Hall’s move to Leicester City. The England international, who is one of Chelsea’s captains, is seeking a new challenge due to limited opportunities at the club.
Chelsea has proposed a deal that includes €45 million plus the permanent transfer of Gallagher in an attempt to convince Barcelona to release Araujo.
In the context of international duty, Gallagher started the first two group matches of England’s Euro 2024 campaign as a substitute against Denmark and Serbia. He was then included in Gareth Southgate’s starting lineup for the game against Slovenia.
However, Gallagher was substituted at halftime during the goalless draw with Slovenia and later played the final 14 minutes of extra time in England’s thrilling semifinal victory over Slovakia.
Former Germany international Didi Hamann expressed doubts about Gallagher’s future participation in the tournament before the match against Slovakia.
“Gallagher is not the problem,” Hamann told RTE. “The issue lies with the manager’s decisions throughout the competition, which have targeted the weaker players. Gallagher’s halftime substitution is indicative of this approach. It’s likely he won’t feature for the rest of the tournament.”
