Conor Gallagher agrees Atletico Madrid transfer as Chelsea exit nears

Conor Gallagher has given his approval to a move to Atletico Madrid and is set to fly to Spain on Monday to finalise his exit from Chelsea, reports have revealed.

Having seen Gallagher enter the final 12 months of his contract, Chelsea accepted a bid worth €40m (£34.2m) from Atletico but there was serious uncertainty over whether the midfielder would actually accept the terms on offer.

Atletico set Gallagher a deadline of Sunday evening to make a decision and, as first revealed by Fabrizio Romano, the 24-year-old has eventually confirmed his willingness to make the move.

Further reports state Gallagher will fly to Spain on Monday to undergo a medical and finalise personal terms with Diego Simeone's side.

Celtic midfielder Matt O'Riley was recently touted as a potential replacement for Gallagher at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea had offered Gallagher the chance to sign an extension but the academy graduate was not impressed by the offer of a two-year deal, which also included the option for another 12 months.

Having already seen Gallagher reject the chance to join Aston Villa, who had actually agreed to pay a higher fee than Atletico, Chelsea warned Gallagher that he would be relegated to a squad player this season if he chose to stay, with some reports even going as far as to claim Gallagher would be banned from the first-team building.

Gallagher has now finally opted to head to Atletico, where his all-action, press-heavy style of play could fit in seamlessly under Simeone.

Should Gallagher's proposed move go through as expected, Chelsea would break the £100m mark for player sales this summer.

Fellow academy graduates Ian Maatsen and Lewis Hall raised a combined £65.5m, while winger Omari Hutchinson was sold to Ipswich Town for £20m just two years after snapping up the youngster on a free transfer from Arsenal.

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