New Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino is a big fan of Conor Gallagher but could still sell the Newcastle United target this summer.
Newcastle United have hope of signing Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher this summer with Mauricio Pochettino willing to sell.
That is according to The Mirror (04/06, p77) as they claim that Newcastle are chasing a deal for Gallagher.
It’s stated that Newcastle did want to sign Gallagher in January but Chelsea blocked a potential move to Tyneside.
Newcastle are back in for the 23-year-old and have hope of finally luring him to St James’ Park.
The report claims that Mauricio Pochettino is a keen admirer of Gallagher but knows he must trim his squad.
Gallagher could therefore leave the club this summer with Chelsea seeking a fee of around £40million for the midfielder.
This comes after TalkSPORT reported last week that Gallagher hasn’t convinced the Chelsea hierarchy and could be sold this summer.
That £40million price tag may fit into Newcastle’s spending plans this summer but Eddie Howe may need to figure out exactly what kind of midfielder he want.
Newcastle United linked with different types of midfielders amid Conor Gallagher rumours
Newcastle are back in the Champions League after a long, long wait and fans are keen to see some major additions this summer.
The Magpies are in the market for midfielders but we have seen different types linked of late.
There have been midfielders classed as holders who will sit in front of the defence, such as Manchester City’s Kalvin Phillips.
The idea there may be to drop Phillips deep and allow Bruno Guimaraes to go forward, although signing the England man won’t be easy.
Then there are box-to-box midfielders like Gallagher, who can really contribute going forward with late runs into the box.
Gallagher is a real threat in this regard and Howe may feel he is an even bigger goal threat than Joe Willock and Sean Longstaff.
There is a third type too – the playmaking number 10.
James Maddison and Dominik Szoboszlai are strong rumours with Newcastle seemingly looking for more creativity going forward.
It’s hard to see Newcastle signing three players to fill each of those roles and a move for Gallagher may be up in the air until Howe and co narrow down their search.