Chelsea are reportedly planning to sit down and hold contract talks with midfield regular Conor Gallagher.
The England international was believed to have been on the radar of several clubs over the summer, having failed to nail down a regular spot in the Blues' starting lineup.
Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United were thought to have been showing an interest in Gallagher's services, but the window closed with the midfielder still on the books at Stamford Bridge.
Since Mauricio Pochettino took charge, Gallagher has been a stalwart of the Chelsea midfield, making nine appearances in total and starting all seven of his side's Premier League matches.
With captain Reece James back in the treatment room, Gallagher has worn the armband for each of his side's last three top-flight matches, including Monday's 2-0 West London derby win over Fulham.
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The 23-year-old was officially promoted to the senior Chelsea ranks last summer, but his contract now has under two years left to run, and he will be able to walk away for free in 2025 as things stand.
Desperate to avoid such a scenario coming to fruition, the Daily Mail claims that Chelsea are preparing to hold showdown talks with Gallagher over where he sees his long-term future.
The report states that the Blues have been satisfied with the Englishman's displays in the early stages of the campaign, and he remains determined to keep fighting for his place in the team.
Gallagher has often joined £221m duo Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo in the Blues engine room, but he will face added competition from Romeo Lavia and Carney Chukwuemeka once the duo return from injuries.
In addition, Lesley Ugochukwu is also vying for minutes in Pochettino's midfield, while Andrey Santos could potentially be recalled from his Nottingham Forest loan spell in the January window.
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As a result, Gallagher's long-term future remains clouded in uncertainty, and Chelsea would not hesitate to offload the England international for the right price should he make it clear that he will not pen a new deal.
Gallagher has represented the West London giants for 15 years since joining their academy in 2008, but he was loaned out to Crystal Palace, West Bromwich Albion, Charlton Athletic and Swansea City before making his first-team breakthrough.
The 23-year-old has now represented the Blues on 54 occasions, scoring three goals and setting up one more, but he is yet to directly contribute to a goal in the 2023-24 campaign.
Nevertheless, Gallagher has been called up to the England squad for October's clashes with Australia and Italy, prior to which Chelsea will seek back-to-back Premier League wins for the first time this season when they face Burnley at Turf Moor on Saturday.
Ben Knapton
