'Reluctant' Aston Villa claim made as Brighton receive £25m green light

Aston Villa have reportedly fallen behind in the race to sign Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher, boosting Tottenham Hotspur’s chances of acquiring his signature.

Unai Emery has made the England international a priority target this summer but a swoop could be tougher than first expected. Gallagher is currently fully focused on representing the Three Lions at the 2024 UEFA European Championships in Germany but is expected to have a big decision to make upon his return.

The Telegraph reports Villa are still eager to sign Gallagher but may struggle to convince the midfielder as he would be “reluctant’ to relocate to the Midlands. It’s claimed the 24-year-old is keen to remain at Chelsea and hopes the Blues will offer him a contract extension.

Gallagher only has 12 months left on his current deal and is up for sale as Chelsea look to gain some transfer funds for the window ahead. Any money gained from a move away would be pure profit as far as the Premier League’s regulations are concerned as Gallagher is an academy graduate.

Tottenham, just like Villa, have been heavily linked with a potential swoop. Chelsea’s £50 million asking price is seen as very steep considering the player’s limited remaining contract length but Spurs have the advantage of being in London, rather than the Midlands.

Brighton given green light for £25m transfer

In other Premier League transfer news, reports in the Netherlands suggest Brighton & Hove Albion are moving closer to signing Dutch international midfielder Mats Wieffer. It’s reported that the player has given the green light for his current club, Feyenoord, to speak to the Seagulls.

Brighton are hopeful of completing a deal for Wieffer, who has recently been listed as a target for the likes of Atletico Madrid and Bayern Munich. The defensive midfielder has contributed nine goals and 11 assists in 79 games for Feyenoord to date and should be available for around £25 million.