Tottenham Hotspur chiefs believe they can make a "game-changer" signing for around £45 million this summer, according to journalist Ben Jacobs.
Spurs planning to sign new midfielder
Over the last fortnight, there have been plenty of whispers surrounding midfielders who could potentially join Spurs later this year.
Tottenham positioning themselves to sign cheap Frenkie de Jong alternative
The north Londoners want a new midfielder.
ByEmilio Galantini
Indeed, the likes of Frenkie de Jong (Barcelona), Adrien Rabiot (Juventus), James Garner (Everton), Teun Koopmeiners (Atalanta) and Ederson (Atalanta) have all been sporadically mentioned as Tottenham targets for the summer.
Ange Postecoglou, going by these reports, is keen to add more quality and dynamism in the middle of the park. Another midfielder to be repeatedly linked, and ever since the summer of last year, is Chelsea star Conor Gallagher.
The England international, who was just on the losing side of Sunday's EFL Cup final, is still yet to agree a new contract at Chelsea – with his current deal expiring in 2025. This gives Chelsea just two more transfer windows to either sell or agree fresh terms before they're faced with the very real possibility of losing him for free.
Crystal Palace 1-3 Chelsea
8.78
Tottenham 1-4 Chelsea
8.22
Chelsea 3-0 Luton
7.90
Chelsea 2-0 Sheffield United
7.80
Burnley 1-4 Chelsea
7.22
Gallagher has played a starring role under Mauricio Pochettino this season, making 24 league appearances whilst chipping in with four assists and two goals. The 24-year-old's overall performances have pushed him into contention for a spot in Gareth Southgate's Euro 2024 squad, with Spurs remaining very keen.
Fabrizio Romano has previously stated that Postecoglou is a big admirer of the "game-changer" (Jermaine Jenas), with reporter Jacobs sharing an update on Tottenham's interest to GiveMeSport.
Tottenham believe they could sign Gallagher for £45m
As per Jacobs, Tottenham feel that they could sign Gallagher for as little as £45 million if he hasn't signed a new deal, regardless of the midfielder's status as a mainstay for Pochettino.
"Tottenham appreciate the player [James Garner], but there's nothing advanced at this stage," said the journalist.
"Conor Gallagher, is perhaps the more likely target. I also think that if Gallagher doesn't sign a new Chelsea deal, and nothing is advanced, the package that Tottenham may be able to offer will be a little bit less. I'm sure that Chelsea will point towards Mason Mount and say, he had a year left on his contract, and was a £60m total package to Manchester United, and Gallagher is in better form. So they may hold out for that £55m to £60m valuation. But I think that Tottenham feel that by the time the summer comes, if Gallagher has not signed a new deal, he may be available for close to £45m to £50m. Whereas last summer, they thought that that was £5m or £10m too much. This coming summer, they may believe that's pretty decent value given Gallagher's form."