Atletico Madrid have finally completed the signings of England international midfielder Conor Gallagher from Chelsea over a week after he originally flew to Spain, reported Xinhua.
The 24-year-old product of the Chelsea youth system has signed a five-year contract until the end of June 2029, for a fee of around 40 million euros, and has already returned to work with the Spanish club.
Gallagher originally flew to Madrid last week and spent several days in the Spanish capital training with Atletico, only for the deal to stall after talks for Chelsea to Atletico forward Samu Omorodion fell through.
He flew back to England on the weekend, but wasn't included in the squad for Chelsea's 2-0 defeat to Manchester City and then returned to Madrid on Tuesday, as Chelsea's move to buy Joao Felix neared completion.
Atletico have been busy in the transfer market this summer, strengthening their squad with the arrival of forwards Julian Alvarez and Alexander Sorloth from Manchester City and Villarreal, while also adding Spain international defender Robin le Normand from Real Sociedad.
Gallagher's move to Atletico means that Chelsea can be expected to confirm Joao Felix's return in the coming hours.
The midfielder was popular with Chelsea supporters and played a key role last summer, but the fact he is a youth team product means any money from Gallagher's sale counts as profit and will help Chelsea with financial fair-play issues after their heavy spending over the past two years.
Source: www.dailyfinland.fi