Tottenham could be about to launch a move for Conor Gallagher in the January transfer window.
The former Chelsea star is being heavily linked with a return to the Premier League just over a year since he left his homeland to join Atletico Madrid.
Gallagher is a long-term target for Tottenham, who are continuing to show an interest in the midfielder after they were also lurking in the summer.
The talk surrounding the midfielder’s future won’t go away, and Thomas Frank and Co. could be ready to take action as soon as the winter window opens up.
Conor Gallagher wants London return amid Tottenham interest
Tottenham’s interest in Gallagher has prompted Atletico to toughen their stance regarding a potential sale of the England international.
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The Spanish capital club have now outlined that they will not entertain the idea of losing their star for anything less than £52million, given his perceived importance to their project.
The Lilywhites are expected to launch an attempt to sign him this winter, but they will have to make it worthwhile for Diego Simeone and Co.
However, ex-Spurs scout Bryan King – speaking exclusively to Tottenham News – believes that the Lilywhites should not be put off by the asking price for Gallagher from the La Liga giants.
“I’d certainly pay £52m for Gallagher,” King said.
“Tottenham think they’ll need another central midfield player, especially one of his quality.
“Why would Atletico want to sell him if he’s been doing quite well? At that price, he must have been doing quite well.
“Is it because he’s fed up with trying to learn Spanish? Maybe he wants to come back to London, that could be the reason.
“I think maybe the novelty of living in Madrid may have worn off. They like foreign players to learn the language, maybe he’s finding that a difficult part of settling in.”
Gallagher signing would give Spurs excellent midfield depth
Tottenham are hopeful that Rodrigo Bentancur will pen a new deal at the club in the near future, and they are also keen to turn Joao Palhinha’s loan move into a permanent one as soon as possible.
When you throw in the ever-improving youthful duo of Lucas Bergvall and Pape Sarr, Frank is blessed with some quality options in the middle of the park.
However, given that he wants to play a three-man midfield in N17, another top-level addition would be ideal in order to ease rotation as the Lilywhites look to compete on all fronts.
Gallagher is an impressive player, and his engine would be invaluable to Spurs and their style of play.
If they could get their hands on him in January, then it would round off an excellent unit in the middle of the park.