Chelsea have reached an agreement to let a £98 million player go, alongside their widely reported deal to sell Conor Gallagher to Atletico Madrid, but there is one key issue holding up the move.

Chelsea agree £34 million deal with Atletico to sell Gallagher

A multitude of reliable media outlets, including renowned transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano, have claimed that Chelsea are ready to sell Gallagher to Atletico for around £34 million after shaking hands with the La Liga side.

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The west Londoners have learned a new price tag.

By
Emilio Galantini

Aug 1, 2024

This comes after Diego Simeone's men opened discussions over the 24-year-old very recently. Atletico started talks to sign Gallagher from Chelsea last week, according to some reports, and it has not taken long for the Spaniards to find the middle ground in a potential deal.

The England star, who enjoyed a fine 2023/2024 campaign under Mauricio Pochettino, becoming a mainstay player and one of their most important squad members, was rewarded for his excellent form with a call-up to Gareth Southgate's Three Lions squad for Euro 2024.

Gallagher started 37 Premier League games last season, scoring five goals and assisting his teammates on seven other occasions, but his contract expires next year and Todd Boehly risks losing the dynamic midfielder for nothing in 2025.

The Cobham academy graduate's sale would count as pure profit when it comes to Profit and Sustainability rules as well, meaning Chelsea chiefs are faced with making the unpopular decision to sell Gallagher this summer while they still can.

The Stamford Bridge side have attempted to tie the former Crystal Palace loanee down with a new two-year contract, which included the option of a third year, and would've put him in line with Chelsea's top earners in midfield.

However, Gallagher snubbed this proposal, and it is believed both Chelsea and Atletico are waiting on his final decision after both clubs found an agreement on his £34 million transfer fee.

"Understand Conor Gallagher turned down a new three year (2+1) contract extension at Chelsea today as well as in early June," wrote journalist Ben Jacobs on X earlier this week.

"Wages offered comparable to the highest earners in Chelsea's midfield. As reported, Chelsea have agreed a package with Atletico Madrid in excess of €40m including add-ons and will support a move to Spain if that's Gallagher's preference.

"No terms agreed yet. Aston Villa also had a club-record bid accepted for Gallagher in June but he decided to stay. Chelsea would prefer to sell Gallagher abroad than to a Premier League rival and the Atletico offer accepted is well below the one made by Villa."

As Chelsea wait on Gallagher, it is now believed they've agreed to sell another player to Aston Villa in a surprise development.

Chelsea agree to sell Lukaku to Aston Villa, but key issue stalls deal

Wantaway striker Romelu Lukaku is the subject of serious interest from Napoli, as the Serie A side speak with Chelsea over a deal for him with Victor Osimhen heading the other way (David Ornstein).

However, this hasn't stopped Villa from attempting to hijack Antonio Conte's move. According to Italian newspaper Il Mattino, via TUTTOmercatoWEB, Villa reached an agreement with Chelsea to sign Lukaku this week, but there's a key issue, as the Belgian only wants to reunite with Conte in Naples.

Chelsea want the 31-year-old, who cost £98 million to re-sign from Inter Milan in 2021, to accept a move to the Midlands – but Lukaku has set his sights on a return to the Italian top flight instead.

Called a "complete" striker by Leonardo Bonucci, Lukaku's best goalscoring seasons have come during his stints in Serie A. He even guided Inter to a Scudetto triumph during the 2020/2021 season under Conte, scoring 24 and bagging a further 11 assists in the league alone.

Opener’s 93 sets up big batting finish; Scotland chase fizzles after brief dominance

Firdose Moonda03-Nov-2021New Zealand gained two valuable points with a solid win over Scotland, who applied themselves better than they did in the first two Super 12 fixtures. It means New Zealand join Afghanistan on four points in Group 2, which setS up an intriguing clash between the two teams on Sunday. Before that, Afghanistan have to play India, the result of which could also be crucial in determining who progresses to the semi-final.On a fresh pitch in Dubai, described by the television commentators as the best for run-scoring in the tournament so far, New Zealand posted 172 for 5, thanks largely to a 105-run fourth-wicket stand between Martin Guptill and Glenn Phillips. Guptill went on to score a 50-ball 93.Watch cricket live on ESPN+

Sign up for ESPN+ and catch all the action from the Men’s T20 World Cup live in the USA. Match highlights of New Zealand vs Scotland is available here in English, and here in Hindi (USA only).

Scotland’s chase was steady, and even threatening in parts, but struggled to keep up with the required run-rate. They reached their 50 in 6.2 overs and needed 97 runs off the last 10. Mitchell Santner and Tim Southee were miserly but Scotland stayed in the hunt until close to the end. An unbeaten 50-run stand between Michael Leask and Chris Greaves kept them in with a chance until the last over but New Zealand’s experience held out.Martin’s milestones
Guptill anchored and then accelerated New Zealand’s innings and enjoyed several achievements along the way. He became the second batter to reach 3000 T20I runs when he sent an Alasdair Evans leg-stump half-volley over backward square leg for six. Guptill is second only to Virat Kohli in T20I runs, and is only 156 runs behind. He also became the batter with the most sixes in this format, when he slog-swept Chris Greaves onto the top tier of the stands. That was Guptill’s 150th six in T20Is and measured 102 metres, one short of the biggest in the tournament so far. Guptill shared in a 105-run stand with Phillips which formed the spine of New Zealand’s total, and was in a good position to bring up his third T20I hundred but was out when chipped Brad Wheal to long-on to end what looked like an exhausting innings.Sharif’s double-strike in the powerplay
Safyaan Sharif pulled Scotland back from their worst start in this tournament – an opening over that cost 13 runs – when he gave away only a single in the second over. Then, he changed ends and pushed them ahead with a double strike in the fifth over, which was one wide away from giving Scotland their first maiden over at this competition. With the first ball of his second over, Sharif had Daryl Mitchell trapped on the back pad with a delivery that looked a touch too high at first glance. Ahsan Raza raised his finger and Mitchell reviewed but ball-tracking showed the ball tickling the bails and the decision was upheld. Four balls later, Sharif bagged one of the wickets of his career when Kane Williamson followed a delivery headed down the leg side, Matthew Cross took a diving catch to his left and Williamson walked. New Zealand were 36 for 2, which became 52 for 3 when Devon Conway was dismissed for 1 and in some trouble.Post-powerplay strangle
Scotland applied a squeeze through spin in the four overs after the Powerplay to put the breaks on New Zealand. Mark Watt and Chris Greaves gave away just 18 runs in 24 balls between overs 6-10, with only one boundary. Watt also got rid of Conway in that time to continue a magical run at this T20 World Cup. He has taken at least one wicket in all the nine matches he has played at the men’s T20 World Cup. And he has been miserly too. Watt has conceded less than 24 runs in all but his debut game where he went for 30 runs.Maiden and then the most
The 13th maiden over at this competition came from Adam Milne, who bowled the fourth over of Scotland’s chase. All six of his deliveries were back of a length and speedy. He reached up to 147kph and beat Matthew Cross three times in the over to complete only his second run-less over in his format. His first was vs Pakistan in 2016. But Milne did not have the final say on the Powerplay after Cross got his own back in the sixth over when he hit five successive fours, and should have had a sixth. Cross pulled the first two balls before picking the knuckle ball and driving it through the covers. He got a top-edge as he tried to pull the fourth – a bouncer – and it went over the wicket-keeper’s head for four, and then settled to slice the fifth ball past gully. The final delivery was back of a length and could have been swatted through mid-wicket but Cross inside-edged onto his pad. It’s only the second time we’ve seen five fours in an over in the men’s T20I World Cup after Jacques Kallis’ against Scotland’s Jan Stander, in 2009.

Angry Manchester City fans labelled Jack Grealish as a "monumental fraud" after he finished 2024 with a truly embarrassing statistic.

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Grealish's last goal was in December 2023Hadn't scored a single goal for over a yearDisgusted fans lashed out at the £100m manFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Grealish last found the back of the net in the Premier League on December 16, 2023, during a 2-2 draw against Crystal Palace. Despite being a prominent figure in Manchester City's last three Premier League title celebrations and an integral player during the historic treble-winning campaign of 2022/23, his recent performances have disappointed fans. The attacking midfielder has struggled to replicate his best form, with his contributions in front of goal becoming a growing concern.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportWHAT THE FANS ARE SAYING

City fans took to social media to voice their dissatisfaction with Grealish's performances.

One fan, @masurge7, harshly criticized the player, saying: "For a £100m player this is unpardonable…if mid were a person, he'd be Grealish."

Another, @ibrahimnupe, wrote: "Monumental fraud."

While, @XRPMoonBagz, wrote: "The flop that isn’t talked about enough."

@lupainho's comment oozed sarcasm and wrote: "Outstanding returns of investment 100mil 🤣🤣🤣."

@cfcmasi: "Being 00365 is absolutely insane I can't lie."

THE BIGGER PICTURE

A series of injuries has further compounded Grealish's struggles, disrupting his rhythm and availability. Over the past two seasons, Grealish has started only 16 league matches, with another 17 appearances coming as a substitute. During the 2023/24 campaign, he missed 15 games due to groin and hamstring issues, which kept him sidelined for nearly two months.

DID YOU KNOW?

Throughout his Premier League career, Grealish has scored just 26 goals in 183 appearances, averaging a modest 0.14 goals per match. While his game has never been solely about scoring, the lack of goals has amplified frustrations among supporters, especially given his £100 million price tag.

Australia, who have dominated Sri Lanka completely both home and away in the last decade, start clear favourites in the Test series beginning in Hobart

Madhusudhan Ramakrishnan13-Dec-2012Such has been Australia’s record in head-to-head contests that it is virtually impossible to expect Sri Lanka to pose a serious challenge in the three-Test series beginning in Hobart. Although Sri Lanka lost both Tests on their last tour of Australia in 2007-08, they put up a serious fight in the second Test before going down by 96 runs. Australia have been the only team to regularly win in Sri Lanka too – in their last two series in Sri Lanka, Australia won 3-0 and 1-0. Following the retirement of top players, Australia have had to work much harder for their success but are still a force to reckon with at home, Since 2007, they have lost three home series (twice to South Africa and once against England) but have a 11-1 record at home against major subcontinent teams (excludes Bangladesh).Sri Lanka have struggled both home and away in the last two years following Muttiah Muralitharan’s exit. Since 2010, Sri Lanka have lost one and drawn four home series with their only triumph coming against Pakistan earlier this year. Sri Lanka, who are yet to win a single Test in two countries (Australia and India), will draw confidence from their performance in last year’s Boxing Day Test in Durban when they went on to register their first win in South Africa.In the SSC Test in 1992, Australia completed a remarkable turnaround after conceding a 291-run lead in the first innings. Ever since that win, Australia have gone on to lose only a single Test in Sri Lanka (in 1999). The matches played in Australia have virtually been a no-contest. Sri Lanka have managed to draw only one Test (Cairns in 2004) and have gone on to lose six. While most non subcontinent teams have had problems dealing with the conditions in Sri Lanka, Australia have had no such issues. In their last two series in Sri Lanka (2004 and 2011), Australia have gone on to win four Tests and draw two. Perhaps, Australia’s most remarkable achievement came in the 2004 series when they won each of the three Tests despite conceding the lead on all occasions. Their win-loss ratio of 11.00 (Tests since 1990) against Sri Lanka is the best among all head-to-head contests (excluding Bangladesh games).

In the 2004 series, which was dominated by Shane Warne’s successful return to cricket following his ban, Australia conceded leads of 161 and 91 runs in the first two Tests in Galle and Kandy but managed to turn the matches around with impressive batting displays in the second innings. Sri Lanka, who lost the series 3-0, averaged 28.75 while the visitors averaged 35.68. The average difference (difference between batting averages of Australia and Sri Lanka) was higher in the subsequent series in Australia. In the 2004 series in Australia, the hosts dominated the contests and scored four more centuries than Sri Lanka. However, the average difference (89.28) was the highest by far in the 2007 series in Australia which the hosts won 2-0. Apart from Kumar Sangakkara, who played an outstanding innings of 192 in Hobart, no other Sri Lankan batsman looked comfortable in the conditions in Australia. The 2011 series in Sri Lanka was also dominated by Australia, who won 1-0. The visitors won a low-scoring first Test in Galle by 125 runs and dominated the drawn second Test in Pallekele where Michael Hussey and Shaun Marsh scored centuries. Not only did Australia score more centuries in the 2011 series, they also ended with a much higher batting average than the hosts (average difference 7.23).

Hussey was outstanding in the last series played between the two teams in 2011 scoring 95 in the first Test and centuries in the second and third Tests. He has been virtually untroubled by both Sri Lankan pace bowlers and spinners averaging 121 and 99.75 against them respectively while scoring at a fair clip. Michael Clarke, who became the first player to score four double-centuries in a calendar year, averages 62.33 and 81 against the fast bowlers and spinners. Phillip Hughes, who is likely to play at No.3 following Ricky Ponting’s retirement, has been comfortable against pace (average 57.00) but has struggled against spinners (average 29.33 with three dismissals).Sangakkara, the top run-getter in Sri Lanka’s previous series in Australia, has an average of 45 against both fast bowlers and spinners. However, he has managed a much higher scoring rate (3.89) against the slower bowlers and has been dismissed four fewer times. Mahela Jayawardene, Sri Lanka’s captain, has found the going tough against Australian pace bowlers falling 14 times (average 24.71). In contrast, he has looked very comfortable against spinners averaging 102 (three dismissals). Tillakaratne Dilshan, who averages just 29.28 in eight Tests against Australia, has fallen nine times to fast bowlers (average 26.44) and five times to spinners (31.00).

Australia shockingly lost the Hobart Test against New Zealand on a surface designed to suit the pace bowlers. The batting average in Hobart is highest in the first innings(41.21) but falls to 27.22 in the second innings. The corresponding numbers in the third and fourth innings are 36.62 and 29.90. In Melbourne, the averages in each of the four innings are below 35 with the lowest coming in the fourth innings (23.75). Sydney, the venue for the third Test, has been an excellent batting wicket in the second innings (average 48.25). However, the average falls to 33.57 and 26.88 in the third and fourth innings. Spinners have been quite effective in Hobart picking up 34 wickets (average 36.26) while pace bowlers have picked up 90 wickets at 33.00. While fast bowlers have completely dominated the stats at the MCG picking up 177 wickets at 27.74, spinners have managed just 50 wickets at 41.44. Spinners have picked up a significant percentage of the wickets in Sydney but have a higher average (39.12) as compared to the pace bowlers (34.77).

With bilateral series cancelled because of non-cricketing reasons, the two teams have almost no experience of playing each other

Annesha Ghosh05-Mar-20221:09

Bismah Maroof – ‘When we play to our potential, we can beat any team’

Four of six innings at the 2022 Women’s ODI World Cup so far have had totals in excess of 250, with at least one batter scoring a hundred in them. Mithali Raj, whose India will begin their campaign on Sunday against Pakistan, believes that – one batter playing a long, decisive hand – could well be the norm if the trend of high scores is to continue.”The first game [between New Zealand and West Indies] and even today, watching England versus Australia, I think the wicket is definitely helpful to the batters but 250 is something every team is looking at to put up,” Raj said on the eve of the big game. “But it’s equally important to have a set batter playing throughout the innings because the wicket is a little on a slower side, so it’s not something that a new batter can come in and straightaway get to scoring runs.”Having said that, the bowlers also have… they can use the variations on these wickets. So it’s not completely a belter of a wicket, I would say. To start off the tournament, it is good that they are posting totals of 250, but as the tournament goes on, I’m assuming that it might come down a little with the wickets tending to be used more.”Bismah Maroof, the Pakistan captain who is leading her team at an ODI World Cup for the first time, agreed on the trend, and was also hoping to add to the list of upsets after West Indies beat New Zealand in the opening game.”It was a really exciting match and I think the wickets (pitches) here are very good,” she said. “And they assist bowlers as well. And I think we will see very high-scoring matches – and yes, I think the teams can upset, and we can expect higher-scoring matches in this World Cup.”India and Pakistan have not played in an ODI since the 2017 World Cup•ICC via Getty

The 2017 ODI World Cup, which had as many matches (31) and teams (eight) as this edition, had 15 250-plus totals, and the overall run rate for the tournament was 4.69. In the ongoing edition, the rate is 5.03 at the moment. Two chasing sides have come close to overhauling totals in excess of 250 so far – New Zealand posted 256 in response to West Indies’ 259 and England made 298 for 8 in reply to Australia’s 310 for 3 – with at least one batter scoring a century in each innings. The only exception was the Bangladesh vs South Africa game, where Bangladesh made 175 after bowling South Africa out for 207.Related

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India have the ability, but are lacking in consistency

Since the end of the 2017 World Cup, India have made 250 or more only eight times in 40 matches, winning three of those, two while chasing. Their opponents for their 2022 ODI World Cup curtain-raiser, Pakistan, have made 250 or higher in three out of their 34 outings in the same period, winning two – both times batting first – and tying one game.Though both teams have historically relied heavily on spinners, Maroof expected the young Pakistan pacers, Diana Baig and Fatima Sana, to have a strong impact on the fixture.”Yes, we have improved as a fast-bowling unit, especially Diana and Fatima Sana have come far away and we have gelled together and we have the right combination in our bowling and all the bowlers complement each other,” Maroof said. “And yes, it’s just that (our) batting (needs to click). We’re looking forward that if we can put up a good show in batting, we really know that our bowling unit can do well.”