Atletico Madrid confirm Conor Gallagher transfer from Chelsea

Atletico Madrid have confirmed the signing of Conor Gallagher from Chelsea on a five-year contract for a reported fee of £34m.

The England midfielder's move to Metropolitano Stadium was thrown into doubt earlier this month when complications over an adjacent transfer for Samu Omorodion hampered the deal, but the issues were soon resolved.

Blues head coach Enzo Maresca had previously confirmed Gallagher was training away from the first-team squad at Cobham as the switch neared completion.

The 24-year-old has become Atleti's latest signing in a busy summer transfer window for the Spanish side, who have also brought in Robin Le Normand, Alexander Sorloth and Julian Alvarez as they seek to challenge for honours domestically and in the Champions League.

Gallagher made 95 appearances in all competitions for Chelsea, scoring ten goals, and was frequently named captain last season under former boss Mauricio Pochettino in Reece James' regular absence.

His departure also helps to somewhat streamline the west London side's squad, which has grown increasingly bloated thanks to the strategy employed by BlueCo, which has seen young players arrive on mass with long-term contracts handed out frequently.

Moises Caicedo, Romeo Lavia and Enzo Fernandez featured in central midfield during their Premier League opener against Manchester City at the weekend but they were all upstaged by former Stamford Bridge star Mateo Kovacic, who scored the visiting team's second goal in the 2-0 defeat.

Omari Kellyman, Tosin Adarabioyo, Marc Guiu, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Renato Viega, Caleb Wiley and Pedro Neto have all signed for Chelsea so far this summer, while former loanee Joao Felix is closing in on a permanent return.

Raheem Sterling's future is up in the air after being left out of the squad to face City, while striker Armando Broja is expected to seal a loan switch to newly-promoted Ipswich Town.

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