Chelsea are ready to listen to offers for Conor Gallagher, who is wanted by Tottenham and West Ham. Mauricio Pochettino is determined to upgrade his midfield with Moisés Caicedo but that move has stalled over Brighton’s demand for Levi Colwill to be included in the deal.
Brighton have set Caicedo’s price at £100m and are taking a tough stance in talks over the midfielder after rejecting a £70m bid last week. Negotiations are moving slowly and Chelsea have been informed their chances of signing Pochettino’s top target will increase if they compromise on Colwill, who spent last season on loan at Brighton.
Chelsea are determined not to lose Colwill and made that clear when they rejected a £30m bid for the defender from Brighton last month. Pochettino has backed the 20-year-old to become one of the best centre-backs in England and is short of defensive options after selling Kalidou Koulibaly and losing Wesley Fofana to a serious knee injury.
Brighton remain intent on signing Colwill – their move for the Fiorentina defender Igor is unlikely to alter their position – and have continued to bring up his name during talks over Caicedo. Roberto De Zerbi, Brighton’s manager, spoke effusively about Colwill before facing Chelsea in a pre-season friendly last Saturday.
The situation is understood to have reached an impasse and Chelsea’s recruitment team must weigh up how best to continue the pursuit of Caicedo. Chelsea are reluctant to pay £100m for the Ecuador international, who wants to move to Stamford Bridge, but are expected to make a third bid for the 21-year-old soon.
There is a feeling the deal is unlikely to be concluded swiftly, with Brighton prepared to let negotiations run until the end of the window and test Chelsea’s determination to keep Colwill. The England Under-21 international is relaxed about his future and has held positive talks with Pochettino. Colwill’s aim is to play regular football and boost his chances of being included in England’s squad at Euro 2024.
Chelsea, who want to hand Colwill a new long-term deal, will hope they do not have to look at alternatives to Caicedo. Pochettino is revamping his midfield after the departures of Jorginho, Mateo Kovacic, N’Golo Kanté and Mason Mount. Chelsea have embarked on a major clearout and there is increasing uncertainty over Gallagher’s future. The midfielder has two years on his deal.
Gallagher, who came through Chelsea’s academy, has not made a final call on his future and has impressed during pre-season. However the 23-year-old has grown unsettled in recent months and is considering whether to leave. West Ham entered a bid of £37m plus add-ons for Gallagher last week but that offer was rejected. The Hammers are targeting the Chelsea man after selling Declan Rice to Arsenal for £105m, while Spurs have considered him as a replacement for Pierre-Emile Højbjerg, who is closing in on a move to Atlético Madrid. Newcastle have also targeted Gallagher, who could cost at least £40m, but would need to sell a midfielder first.
Chelsea are also hunting for additions in attacking midfield and are interested in Crystal Palace’s Michael Olise, Lyon’s Rayan Cherki, Celta Vigo’s Gabri Veiga and Ajax’s Mohammed Kudus. Olise, who is out for several months with a hamstring injury, has a £35m buyout clause.
Fulham are pushing to complete a deal for Chelsea’s Callum Hudson-Odoi. Lazio are interested in the winger, who has a year left on a deal worth about £120,000 a week, but Fulham remain in pole position. The 22-year-old is keen on moving to Craven Cottage and is waiting for Fulham to agree a fee. Hudson-Odoi, who spent last season on loan at Bayer Leverkusen, has been training with Chelsea’s Under-21s.
Fulham had their opening offer for Hudson-Odoi turned down last week and are looking for a compromise on a fee. Chelsea want to sell and are asking for about £8m, whereas Fulham have looked at paying £4m. Hudson-Odoi would compete with Willian for a place on the left wing at Fulham.
Fulham are set to choose between Southampton’s Mohammed Salisu and Calvin Bassey of Ajax after agreeing deals for both defenders.They have agreed to pay £18m for Bassey and are also considering whether to press ahead with a £15m move for Salisu.
Gallagher is not the only Chelsea player on West Ham’s radar. David Moyes wants a right-sided centre-back and the club have shortlisted Trevoh Chalobah. The 24-year-old also has interest from Internazionale, although Chalobah could be required to stay at Stamford Bridge because of Fofana’s injury. West Ham have other options and have tried to sign Harry Maguire from Manchester United on loan. They have been working on a deal for the Manchester City centre-back Taylor Harwood-Bellis, who spent last season on loan at Burnley.
West Ham have enquired about the availability of Manchester United’s Scott McTominay, who has been on their radar since January, and have made a £25m bid for Southampton’s James Ward-Prowse. They are likely to have to raise their offer for Ward-Prowse, who is valued at around £40m, but they have other options in midfield.
The Hammers have had two bids rejected for João Palhinha and have cooled their interest in the Fulham midfielder after he sustained a shoulder injury during a friendly against Brentford.
West Ham remain interested in Ajax’s Edson Álvarez but the move has been held up by agent fees. Ajax could be persuaded to take £35m for the Mexico midfielder, whose move to Borussia Dortmund collapsed over personal terms. West Ham are also tracking Juventus’s Denis Zakaria and Monaco’s Youssouf Fofana.
