Patrick Vieira has said he does not think there is any chance of Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher returning to Crystal Palace this summer.
The 22-year-old is currently back with his parent club for pre-season having impressed on loan at Palace last season, where he played 39 times in all competitions and scored eight goals. He also earned himself a first call-up to the senior England international squad, making his debut against San Marino in November.
Some Palace supporters have been clamouring for a return for the midfielder, who became a firm fans' favourite during his time in south London, but Blues boss Thomas Tuchel has been impressed by Gallagher so far in pre-season, with the Chelsea manager stating that he feels he can be "a big asset" for the west London club, praising the 22-year-old for his outstanding work rate in a pre-season friendly with Club America this weekend.
READ MORE: Patrick Vieira makes Killian Phillips statement after Liverpool clash with Crystal Palace prediction
And Vieira has all but conceded defeat over the possibility of Gallagher returning to Selhurst Park, having been asked about the possibility of Palace re-signing the England international this summer.
"At the moment I don't think there is any chance because he is a Chelsea player," he said, after initially laughing at the question over his future. "He did fantastically well for us, but he is in pre-season with Chelsea and honestly we wish him all the best. I don't think there is a way to get him back."
Vieira is, however, keen to add more signings to strengthen his squad, with Palace's only summer arrivals to date being midfielder Cheick Doucoure from French side Lens in a deal worth around £20million, goalkeeper Sam Johnstone on a free transfer and teenage winger Malcolm Ebiowei on a free transfer from Derby County.
But the Palace boss insists that the Eagles still need more ahead of the new Premier League season, with the Frenchman hopeful of more new faces in the coming weeks.
"We had a really good season last season, but we want to improve and one of the ways to do this is to improve the squad," he said. "We are still, I believe, short in the number of players that we have. Hopefully we will make a couple more signings that will help us to be more ambitious. I don't want to go too much into details but we need a couple more signings and I expect us to make a couple more signings."
READ NEXT:
* Cheick Doucoure reveals Patrick Vieira conversation that convinced him to join Crystal Palace
* Jose Mourinho interested in taking Wilfried Zaha to Roma as Patrick Vieira stance made clear
* West Ham beat Crystal Palace to sign Swansea midfielder Flynn Downes on five-year contract
* Zaha stays, Butland exit - Who Crystal Palace should keep and sell in the summer transfer window
* Malcolm Ebiowei shirt number revealed as new Crystal Palace ace makes Zaha, Ronaldo admission
