Gallagher to fly home to protect his well-being, no Atletico Madrid breakthrough

Conor Gallagher is expected to fly back to London on Tuesday if there is no breakthrough in his £33.7 million move to Atlético Madrid from Chelsea.

Telegraph Sport understands that Chelsea and Atlético have recommended Gallagher returns home for his own well-being unless there is significant progress in the coming hours.

Gallagher has been staying in a hotel in Madrid for almost a week after agreeing to move to Atlético and has been keeping fit on his own while he waits for the transfer to be sealed.

Atlético and Chelsea recognise that situation cannot drag on much longer and believe it will be in the best interests of the player to return to London if there is not a swift breakthrough.

The collapse of Samu Omorodion’s switch from Atlético to Chelsea stalled Gallagher’s move with the midfielder in the dark over the Spanish club’s bid to send Joao Felix to Stamford Bridge.

Until Chelsea can agree a deal for Felix or Atlético quickly find a new buyer for Omorodion, then Gallagher’s move remains in doubt.

Returning to England would leave Gallagher in an awkward position after he was told he would not be able to train with Chelsea’s first-team squad or use the first-team facilities if he did not sign a new contract or leave the club.

That means Gallagher, who captained Chelsea for most of last season, faces the prospect of joining the likes of Trevoh Chalobah, Romelu Lukaku and Armando Broja with the development squad if he has to return.

Gallagher turned down a move to Aston Villa earlier in the transfer window and has rejected two identical contract offers from Chelsea that were made directly after the club accepted bids from Villa and Atlético.

Tottenham Hotspur held a long-standing interest in Gallagher, but did not make a formal offer for the midfielder before Atlético agreed a deal in principle with Chelsea.

Chelsea have held talks with Atlético about re-signing Felix, which would push through the Gallagher deal, while Aston Villa have also been tracking the Portuguese.

Felix has indicated a willingness to take a pay cut to rejoin Chelsea, where he spent half a season on loan in 2023.