Conor Gallagher: Atletico Madrid move in doubt as Chelsea request 'return to London'

Chelsea have asked Conor Gallagher to fly back to London from Spain as no progress has been made over his proposed transfer to Atletico Madrid, a report has claimed.

Atletico agreed a £34m fee with Chelsea to sign Gallagher last week, and the midfielder was granted permission to travel for a medical after agreeing personal terms.

The Spanish side were confident of getting a deal over the line and even posted a tweet of the midfielder visiting their Estadio Metropolitano home.

However, Atletico needed to finalise the sale of striker Samu Omorodion to the Blues in order to make the Gallagher deal financially viable. Samu's move to Stamford Bridge collapsed at the eleventh hour, leaving Gallagher in limbo.

Fabrizio Romano reports that Chelsea have requested Gallagher return to England while there remains an impasse with Atletico over finances. The two clubs are in talks over a deal that could see Joao Felix head back to west London, but negotiations are not advanced enough to keep Gallagher out in Spain with nothing to do.

Gallagher was approached by Spanish media for comment on the status of his transfer to Atletico on Monday, but he did not give a definitive answer.

Atletico's move for Gallagher has not fallen through of yet, though it is taking far longer than expected to complete. They were able to wrap up the signing of Julian Alvarez on Monday, but that deal did not hinge on a major sale.

If Gallagher indeed returns to England, it is unclear whether he will be allowed to train with the Chelsea first team. Recent reports claimed the club had sought to banish him from the senior squad in an attempt to force him out prior to Atletico reaching an agreement.

Trevoh Chalobah, Romelu Lukaku and Armando Broja are all training away from the first team with their futures hanging in the balance.

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