Conor Gallagher has responded fantastically to suggestions that Chelsea should offload him in the summer. The 23-year-old has been heavily linked with an exit from Stamford Bridge recently as Liverpool begin to consider alternatives to Jude Bellingham.
The Borussia Dortmund star, who sees his contract at the Signal Iduna Park expire in 2025, has been subject to long-term interest from the Blues, football.london understands. The west Londoners watched the midfielder during his time as an academy player at Birmingham City but, after failing to act on their interest, the German side swooped in and signed him instead.
Ever since, Bellingham has continued to attract the attention of Chelsea and Liverpool, however the latter are now believed to have cooled their interest. According to The Times, Jurgen Klopp's side are considering alternatives to the England international, with his eye-watering price tag proving to be an issue.
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The report states that the Reds have identified Gallagher as a target in the summer. Despite the Cobham graduate's best efforts during a time of unrest, sections of the Blues fanbase haven't batted an eyelid at the prospect of him leaving.
Gallagher has responded in spectacular fashion by putting Chelsea ahead against Brighton. Mykhailo Mudryk drove in-field from the left-hand side and, as the Seagulls' backline retreated, the winger offloaded possession to the midfielder who then unleashed a strike goal-bound.
While it may have not been the most aesthetically pleasing goal Gallagher has ever scored, he's certainly sent a message out to the board and the fans with his performance against Brighton. The Englishman completed his first 90 minutes in the Premier League since February last weekend in Chelsea's defeat to Wolves.
Speaking to the club's official website after the game, Gallagher spoke positively of the impact which Frank Lampard has already had. He said: "He had a couple of days, he got his information across about how he wants to play, and everyone was happy with it and ready for the game.
"He wanted us to play with personality and intensity, and it just didn’t click. With the quality of the squad we have, we should be winning a lot more than we are. We have to keep working hard and looking where we can improve, and hopefully it can improve and we can start winning games where we should be."
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