Aston Villa will rival Tottenham to sign Conor Gallagher, but Chelsea are ready to demand around £50million for the England midfielder.
Villa are determined to strengthen their squad ahead of Champions League football next season, and have identified Gallagher as a key transfer target.
Villa boss Unai Emery is thought to be a big admirer of Gallagher's talents, believing that the 24-year-old can add energy and stability to his side's midfield.
Tottenham have retained serious interest in Gallagher too, but Villa could now make the first move for the ex-Crystal Palace loanee.
Gallagher is understood to be happy at Chelsea, but has also not been able to agree a new contract with the Blues.
His current deal expires next summer and Chelsea do not want to lose him on a free transfer in 12 months’ time.
Chelsea regard Gallagher in a similar bracket to Mason Mount, who was sold to Manchester United for £55m last summer.
This transfer window could well see lower fees across the board however, with clubs all carefully monitoring Premier League and European spending regulations.
Selling the academy graduate would also boost Chelsea’s Premier League Profit and Sustainability figures. Sales of homegrown players count as pure profit in those ledgers.
Gallagher thrived in Chelsea’s late season revival under Mauricio Pochettino, as the Blues climbed from 11th in April to a sixth-place Premier League finish.
Pochettino employed Gallagher at the base of his midfield in a double pivot to fine effect as the Blues won five league matches on the spin.
Gallagher now stands a strong chance of taking a similar role with England at the fast-approaching European Championship in Germany.
