OFFICIAL: Atletico Madrid midfielder Conor Gallagher joins Tottenham Hotspur

Tottenham have completed the signing of England midfielder Conor Gallagher from Atletico Madrid for a fee of £34m.

Aston Villa also approached Atletico over Gallagher, wanting him on an initial loan deal with an option to buy, but the LaLiga club weren't keen unless it was an obligation to buy.

Sky Sports News reported that Spurs were in the market for a midfielder after Rodrigo Bentancur was ruled out for the majority of the season with a hamstring injury. Gallagher has signed a five-and-a-half-year deal.

The 25-year-old signed for Atletico in the summer of 2024 for around £38m.

Gallagher brings with him plenty of experience in the Premier League, having made 136 appearances in the competition for the likes of West Brom, Crystal Palace and Chelsea prior to joining Atletico Madrid.

Spurs confirmed the extent of Bentancur's injury on Tuesday, after the South American midfielder underwent surgery on his right hamstring.

A statement from the club read: "The Uruguay international midfielder suffered the injury during our Premier League fixture at Bournemouth last week and will now commence his rehabilitation with our medical staff."

Elsewhere, no member of Thomas Frank's first-team squad is currently allowed to leave the club.

Mathys Tel has interest from Paris FC and Radu Dragusin from Roma - but they are still part of Frank's plans.

Spurs are also finalising a £13m deal for Santos left-back Souza. The 19-year-old is being brought in to provide cover and competition for Destiny Udogie.

OFFICIAL STATEMENT

Tottenham Hotspur are delighted to announce the signing of Conor Gallagher from Atletico Madrid, subject to international clearance.

The 25-year-old England international has signed a long-term contract with the Club.

Conor said: “I'm so happy and excited to be here, taking the next step in my career at an amazing club.

“I wanted to be a Spurs player and thankfully the Club felt the same. It was very easy, it happened very quickly and I'm ready to get on the pitch.

“I know how great the fans are, I’m really happy to be a part of it here and want to create special moments and memories together.”

Our Head Coach, Thomas Frank, said: “Conor is a top midfielder, who we have worked tirelessly to add to our squad.

“He is still young, so has plenty of room for improvement, but also has huge experience across the Premier League, La Liga and with the England national team.

“Conor has captained teams so will bring leadership, maturity, character and personality to our dressing room, while his running power, pressing ability and eye for goal will strengthen us in a key area of the pitch.

“I’m excited about working with him every day and I know the fans will love what he will bring to the team.”

A passionate, versatile and energetic midfielder, Conor began his professional career with Chelsea, starring in their youth teams before making his way into the first team at the end of the 2018/19 season, which included being part of the Blues’ Europa League final-winning squad.

Fruitful loans followed at Charlton Athletic, Swansea City and West Bromwich Albion, gaining Premier League experience at the latter before his breakthrough campaign came in 2021/22 as he joined Crystal Palace on a season-long loan.

Featuring 39 times and scoring eight goals across the campaign at Selhurst Park, Conor was named the Eagles’ Player of the Season as the south London side fell just shy of a top 10 finish while they reached the FA Cup semi-finals.

Returning to Chelsea ahead of the following season, the central midfielder soon made his first-team debut for the west London side, going on to make 45 appearances in all competitions that term as well as scoring his first senior goals for the Blues.

Showcasing his leadership qualities, he regularly wore the captain’s armband in 2023/24 as he featured on a further 50 occasions for the Blues in all competitions, contributing to 16 goals.

After making 136 Premier League appearances, Conor headed to Spain to join Atletico Madrid in August, 2024, and went on to play 77 times in all competitions for the La Liga side, scoring seven times.

Featuring in the UEFA Champions League in both of his campaigns in the Spanish capital, he registered his first goal in the competition in March, 2025, scoring after just 27 seconds in a round of 16 tie against Atletico’s city rivals Real Madrid. In doing so, he became the first Englishman to score in the Madrid derby. It was also the fastest goal scored by an Englishman in the history of the Champions League.

Representing England across numerous age groups, Conor was part of the Young Lions side which lifted the Under-17 World Cup in 2017 before he was called up to the senior side for the first time in November, 2021, earning his first cap shortly after in a 10-0 victory over San Marino.

Called up by his country for the 2022 FIFA World Cup and the 2024 UEFA European Championship, where he helped England to the Berlin final, he netted his first England goal in November, 2024, coming in a UEFA Nations League fixture against the Republic of Ireland. To date, he has 22 senior caps to his name.