Atletico Madrid sign Gallagher from Chelsea

Atletico Madrid have signed England midfielder Conor Gallagher from Chelsea for a fee believed to be in the region of £33m.

The 24-year-old has signed a five-year contract with the Spanish top-flight club.

Gallagher joined Chelsea at the age of six and went on to make 90 appearances, scoring 10 goals.

He had entered the final year of his contract at Stamford Bridge, so Chelsea wanted to sell him now to avoid losing him on a free transfer next summer.

“To everyone at Chelsea, thank you for making my dreams come true,” Gallagher wrote on Instagram. “It’s been an absolute honour every time I put on the shirt, and it was a dream come true to captain the team on many occasions.

“I loved every moment. These memories will last forever. I appreciate all the love and support from the fans.”

Atletico forward Joao Felix, also 24, is set to move in the other direction after Chelsea agreed a fee in principle for the Portugal international.

Felix scored four goals in 20 appearances during a loan spell in west London in 2023.

The collapse of Chelsea’s talks to sign Atletico striker Samu Omorodion had delayed Gallagher’s move to Spain, but the Felix deal frees up the required funds for Atletico to complete the transfer.

Gallagher spent five days in a hotel in Madrid earlier this month expecting a deal before flying back to London when the move stalled.

Gallagher had loan spells at Charlton, Swansea, West Brom and Crystal Palace before breaking into the Chelsea first team at the start of the 2022-23 season.

He has won 18 England caps since making his debut in 2021 and was part of the Three Lions squads for the 2022 World Cup and Euro 2024.