Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher has allegedly been banished from first-team training at Stamford Bridge amid a contract standoff.
The Blues academy graduate - who often captained his boyhood team last season in the absence of permanent skipper Reece James - has entered the last 12 months of his deal with the Blues.
Talks over a renewal are yet to lead to a positive solution, meaning that Chelsea must offload Gallagher this summer lest they risk losing the 24-year-old on a free transfer in 2025.
Atletico Madrid have positioned themselves at the head of the queue to sign Gallagher, who was supposedly offered a new two-year deal with the option of a further 12 months by the Chelsea hierarchy.
Gallagher turned down that offer, only strengthening the Blues' position, and the West London giants are rumoured to have accepted a verbal offer from Atletico of around £33m.
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Gallagher 'not allowed' into first-team facilities
The England international has not agreed personal terms with Diego Simeone's side, though, while Tottenham Hotspur are also lurking in the background but may struggle to convince Gallagher to join a London rival.
Owing to his involvement in the Three Lions' run to the Euro 2024 final, Gallagher was not involved in Chelsea's pre-season tour of the USA and was instead due to report for training at Cobham on Monday.
However, according to journalist Tom Barclay, the Blues have told their stand-in captain that he is not allowed to train with his teammates, and he has also been barred from the first-team facilities.
Gallagher is understood to have met with Chelsea chiefs on Friday, where they delivered the bombshell news despite the 24-year-old affirming that he would be happy to sign a long-term extension.
Chelsea are only prepared to sanction a firm two years, though, as new head coach Enzo Maresca has apparently told Gallagher that he will only be a squad player rather than a weekly starter next season.
Is Chelsea's decision to banish Gallagher justified?
I'm told Conor Gallagher has been banished from Chelsea 1st-team. He was in for a meeting at Cobham today, said he'd be open to signing a new long-term deal. But he's been told when he reports to training on Mon, he's not permitted to 1st-team building & won't train with 1st team
— Tom Barclay (@TomBarclay_) August 2, 2024
If such claims are to be believed, Chelsea's banishment of Gallagher from the first-team facilities can be viewed as the ultimate disrespect to a player who has shown nothing but loyalty to the club.
The 24-year-old had to endure four loan spells before being promoted to Chelsea's senior ranks, and there is no question that he was one of the Blues' most important players under Mauricio Pochettino last term.
From a mammoth 50 appearances in all tournaments - including 37 in the Premier League - Gallagher scored seven goals and provided nine assists, and Chelsea would arguably not even be playing Europa Conference League football without him.
From a business point of view, one cannot knock Todd Boehly and co for trying to sell a player in the last year of his deal, especially one who has already rejected one contract proposal, but to ostracise him from the group is unjustifiable.
Gallagher's situation is not too dissimilar to Trevoh Chalobah, another home-grown talent, and while the Blues try to capture every promising teenager under the sun, fans have every right to be furious with such transfers coming at the expense of lion-hearted academy graduates.
Ben Knapton
