Newcastle United suffer huge Conor Gallagher transfer blow

Recent rumours have suggested that Newcastle United have made Conor Gallagher their top target going into the last few weeks of the summer transfer window, after failing with a couple of transfer bids to sign James Maddison from Leicester City.

Gallagher is a player who enjoyed a meteoric rise on loan at Crystal Palace last season and was one of the best players in the Premier League, not playing for one of the traditional Big Six.

He is now back at Chelsea, although nailing down a first-team spot will be very difficult there, as the Blues have top players like N’Golo Kante, Jorginho and Mateo Kovacic in the middle of the park.

Chelsea are not believed to be keen on parting ways with Gallagher regardless though and any hopes that Newcastle United had of convincing them has now suffered another blow, as Kante got injured in the match against Tottenham Hotspur. It looked like a hamstring injury for the Frenchman, as he pulled up while running and was substituted off immediately.

Newcastle United handed huge blow in race to sign Gallagher from Chelsea

If Kante is out for any significant length of time, it would be almost impossible to convince Chelsea to part ways with Gallagher.

In the current Chelsea squad, he looks like the most natural player to replace Kante in the middle of the park, with his intensity off the ball and penchant for winning it back. The Englishman also offers a lot further up the pitch as well, which is a major positive.

Thus, it looks like it might be time for Newcastle United to move their eyes towards other midfield targets as well, as there appears to be very little chance that they will be able to sign Gallagher from Chelsea this summer. It is another in a long list of transfer blows for the Magpies.