CHELSEA will demand £50million for Conor Gallagher in January, according to reports.
Gallagher, 23, has been heavily linked with a move away from Stamford Bridge in recent months despite captaining the Blues on 10 separate occasions.
Chelsea are willing to sell him next month in a bid to balance the books and comply with Financial Fair Play regulations.
And according to ESPN, they want £50m for the midfielder.
Newcastle, Tottenham and West Ham have all been linked with a move for Gallagher.
The Hammers, Spurs and Everton all failed to sign him with bids of around £40m this summer.
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But a slightly higher offer next month could persuade Chelsea to green-light a sale.
The Blues are determined to sign a new striker in January, with Ivan Toney understood to be on Mauricio Pochettino’s transfer wishlist.
However, they will need to raise funds by selling players first – and offloading Gallagher would come with the most efficient financial benefits because he is a home-grown player.
Brentford want up to £80m for Toney, with Arsenal also interested.
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Gallagher has been with the Blues since the age of eight.
After graduating from Chelsea’s academy he was sent out on loan four times before finally breaking into the first team last year.
The midfielder has since made 65 appearances for the West London side.
He was handed the captain’s armband for the first time in September following injuries to Reece James and Ben Chilwell.
And Pochettino is now eager for him to stay at the club.
Discussing Gallagher’s future, the Chelsea boss said: “It is a decision between the player and the club, to be or not to be.
“He is in the starting XI nearly every game and one of the captains. For me, he is the type of player that the club need to have.
“He is important because of his Chelsea values. He came from the academy, he loves the club and he is very committed.
“You can see that on the pitch – he runs, he plays, he fights. He does everything to win. He is a really important player that the coaching staff want to have on the team.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
