Chelsea and Atletico Madrid are discussing the possibility of Joao Felix being part of the Conor Gallagher deal according to Fabrizio Romano. 

The Blues have agreed a deal to sell Gallagher to Atletico for around £34m and the England international is currently in Madrid.

It’s been reported that the announcement of Gallagher’s move had been delayed to allow Chelsea to finalise Samu Omorodion’s move to the club, but that has now subsequently fallen through after issues with finalising his contract.

Chelsea and Atletico in discussions over Felix

It’s believed that Atletico need an outgoing in order to finance a move for Julian Alvarez and Romano has reported that they are in discussions with Chelsea over Felix being part of the Gallagher deal.

He took to X.com and said:

“EXCLUSIVE: Chelsea and Atlético Madrid are now discussing João Félix to #CFC as part of Gallagher deal!

“Samu Omorodion deal collapsing and the two clubs don’t want Gallagher and Julián Álvarez deals to collapse too, João Félix, being discussed with Jorge Mendes in London.”

?? EXCLUSIVE: Chelsea and Atlético Madrid are now discussing João Félix to #CFC as part of Gallagher deal!

Samu Omorodion deal collapsing and the two clubs don’t want Gallagher and Julián Álvarez deals to collapse too…

João Félix, being discussed with Jorge Mendes in London. pic.twitter.com/l3N4axmceS

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 11, 2024

Felix spent the second half of the 2022/2023 campaign on loan at Chelsea and made 20 appearances for the club, scoring four goals and Ben Jacobs has reported Atletico could let the attacker leave for around €50m.

Mauricio Pochettino decided last summer that he didn’t want to keep Felix and the Portugal international spent last season on loan at Barcelona.

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New Chelsea signing Pedro Neto shares the same agent as Felix and it almost appears more than a coincidence that he’s now discussing a possible return to Stamford Bridge for the 24-year-old.

The Blues are also looking at the possibility of signing Napoli’s Victor Osimhen and have held discussions over the possibility of the Nigerian being used as part of the deal that would see Romelu Lukaku head to Naples to reunite with Antonio Conte.

Lukaku has reportedly agreed a three year deal with the Italian side, whilst Chelsea are trying to sign Osimhen on loan with Napoli believed to prefer a permanent transfer.

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Inside Spain is a weekly instalment brought to you by Football España, providing an insight into all of the major stories coming out of the rich and intense climes of La Liga and beyond.

It’s been a breathless week in Spain in the transfer window, without much actually being confirmed. There are a lot of people on transport to new cities though.

Manchester City forward Julian Alvarez looks as if his flight from Ibiza is booked for early next week to compete a €75m plus €20m in variables deal to Atletico Madrid. Samu Omorodion will fly for London once the Olympics are over on Friday, to complete a €42m move to Chelsea.

Going the other way will be Conor Gallagher. He did not travel for 48 hours after making a decision on his future, mostly because Atletico tried to pull out of a €42m deal for him. Valencia Sporting Director Miguel Angel Corona did them no favours by revealing they wanted Javi Guerra instead, who they had also agreed a deal for. He had booked off training and booked a train to Madrid, but was told not to get on.

Such has been the excitement at Atletico that Kylian Mbappe’s first training session at Real Madrid has almost gone unnoticed. Arsenal fans could well be able to celebrate the signing of Real Sociedad’s Mikel Merino, with a bid due before the end of the week, but Real Madrid are reportedly part of the reason they did not go after teammate Martin Zubimendi this summer, for the first time in three years.

#RealMadrid beat #ChelseaFC 2-1 in their final warm-up before the European Supercup.pic.twitter.com/d25fQpi792

— Football España (@footballespana_) August 7, 2024

It might be the year they persuade him to leave though: the €60m Zubimendi is keen on a move to Liverpool, but is facing an effort from Real Sociedad to convince him to stay. Both leaving would be disastrous for the Txuri-Urdin.

Barcelona were of course the other power in the mix for Zubimendi for the past two years, but it looks as if they will forego the midfield spot entirely to bring in Dani Olmo, who arrived on Tuesday – but notably has not been announced. Nico Williams looks as if he will stay at Athletic Club after returning to training a week early in Bilbao, but Barcelona maintain they are still trying to sign him. At least one midfielder is having an impact at Barcelona though, with new coach Thiago Alcantara proving a valuable addition.

Finally, there have been plenty of run-ins with the authorities this week. Alvaro Morata and Rodri Hernandez will pick-up a one-match ban from UEFA for chanting ‘Gibraltar is Spanish’ during their Euro 2024 celebrations. That was a minor offence compared to ex-Barcelona and Real Madrid forward Javier Saviola, who spent Monday morning in an Andorran jail cell.

The post Inside Spain: Martin Zubimendi and Mikel Merino latest, Gibraltar bans and Conor Gallagher chaos appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Chelsea are closing in on the signing of Atletico Madrid’s Samu Omorodion and are already planning his medical according to Fabrizio Romano.

The Blues have been in the market for a striker all summer and despite signing teenager Marc Guiu from Barcelona they have been keen to add another forward to their ranks.

Enzo Maresca’s men have been linked with a whole host of names across Europe but they have now settled on their man.

Chelsea to complete Omorodion deal

Chelsea were linked to Omorodion earlier in the summer and had multiple bids rejected by Atletico, with the La Liga outfit wanting in the region of €60-€70m according to some reports.

The Blues retained their interest in the 20-year-old and an opportunity presented itself with Atletico’s pursuit of Julian Alvarez meaning they would be open to letting Omorodion go.

The Stamford Bridge outfit, who have a good relationship with their Spanish counterparts moved quickly and agreed a fee of £35m for the Spain under-21 international.

Romano has reported that everything is in place for Omorodion’s move and he’s set to take his medical and sign a seven year contract.

He took to X.com and said:

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The post Chelsea set to complete £35m transfer and have already planned medical appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Chelsea and Atletico Madrid have verbally agreed on a deal worth over €40m for Conor Gallagher according to journalist Ben Jacobs. 

The Blues have had a busy summer so far with seven new faces coming through the door at Stamford Bridge, and they confirmed the arrival of Filip Jorgensen from Villarreal this week.

The club are also looking to offload a number of players, but things have been much slower on that front with Ian Maatsen and Omari Hutchinson the only departures of note.

Chelsea and Atletico verbally agree Gallagher fee

Gallagher’s future has been a point of discussion for a number of months, and the midfielder is now in the final 12 months of his deal, with Chelsea keen to sell.

The 24-year-old has attracted interested from rivals Tottenham and Atletico, with the Spanish side showing the most interest in the midfielder.

It was reported earlier this week that Chelsea and Atletico were close to reaching an agreement on a fee and Jacobs has provided a major update.

He took to X.com and said:

“Understand Atletico Madrid and Chelsea have now verbally agreed a package of over €40m. Now up to Gallagher. Terms not agreed with the Chelsea midfielder yet.”

Understand Atletico Madrid and Chelsea have now verbally agreed a package of over €40m.

Now up to Gallagher. Terms not agreed with the Chelsea midfielder yet.? https://t.co/4TiDdnop0w

— Ben Jacobs (@JacobsBen) July 31, 2024

Chelsea had originally been asking for £50m for the academy graduate, but it appears they are now prepared to settle for less.

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Gallagher, who has been with the Blues since the age of eight established himself as a key player under Mauricio Pochettino and captained the side for the majority of last season in the absence of Reece James and Ben Chilwell.

It’s not a certainty Gallagher decides to join Atletico, but a decision on his future is likely to arrive very soon, and Chelsea will need to be wary they could run the risk of losing the midfielder on a free next summer.

The post Chelsea verbally agree €40m deal with Champions League club for fan favourite appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Inside Spain is a weekly instalment brought to you by Football España, providing an insight into all of the major stories coming out of the rich and intense climes of La Liga and beyond.

It’s been a big week at Real Madrid, which is saying something, given it should have been all about Spain’s Euro 2024 celebrations. Celebrations that weren’t all smooth.

Manchester City’s Rodri Hernandez has caused a minor diplomatic incident after his ‘Gibraltar is Spanish chant’, with Chief Minister Fabian Picardo comparing it to the sort of stunt Dictator Francisco Franco would pull. Mikel Oyarzabal and Mikel Merino were branded ‘traitors’ by someone in their hometowns with particularly strong Basque feeling, and Dani Carvajal went viral for giving Spanish President Pedro Sanchez the cold shoulder. Perhaps the most wild was seeing Alvaro Morata launch a cup at a fan from their open-top bus due to a sign they were holding.

#FCBarcelona have released their kit for their 125th anniversary, with a video paying homage to their roots and history. pic.twitter.com/DJdX7WCqey

— Football España (@footballespana_) July 18, 2024

Apartt from that, it was mostly wholesome, with Marc Cucurella, Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams providing the good vibes. It has not calmed speculation around Williams though. This week Barcelona met with his agent to finalise personal terms, but Athletic Club coach Ernesto Valverde declared he was expecting him back in training on the 12th of August. Arsenal and Chelsea probably won’t drop out of the race until they know Barcelona have the money to do a deal. Barcelona also launched their new kit with a brilliant announcement video.

All that before even getting to Kylian Mbappe’s presentation. The Frenchman packed out the Santiago Bernabeu, with a rumoured 80,000 there to see him ‘accomplish his childhood dream’. A big Real Madrid love-in, one-year extensions for Lucas Vazquez and Luka Modric almost faded into the background.

Marca have released a video detailing the 11 host stadiums for the #2030WorldCup in Spain.

Mestalla, the Benito Villamarin and the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan all miss out. pic.twitter.com/LZyjaoEyAR

— Football España (@footballespana_) July 18, 2024

It did leave Real Madrid stunned when Leny Yoro called them to say that he would be joining Manchester United. The local press say that Lille threatened to send him to the stands if Yoro did not accept Manchester United’s offer, although with phrases like ‘Real Madrid overestimated his determination to play for them’, it read a little like saving face.

All the same, Real Madrid do not have a plan B. They let Rafa Marin join Napoli earlier this month, they were that certain of getting Yoro over the line, but now face either a scrambled effort for another defender, or using Aurelien Tchouameni there as an emergency option.

After scoring the winning goal for Spain in #Euro2024, and celebrating in front of tens of thousands, Mikel Oyarzabal returned to his native Eibar.

Back to see his family and friends, he was back at his usual barber. When he came out, he saw this????pic.twitter.com/2NUPlCFjGh

— Football España (@footballespana_) July 18, 2024

Finally, the 11 Spanish venues were confirmed for the 2030 World Cup, with no Mestalla in Valencia, or Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan or Benito Villamarin in Seville. Sevilla will have La Cartuja at least, but reportedly politics got in the way of Spain’s third-most populous city missing out entirely…

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Inside Spain is a weekly instalment brought to you by Football España, providing an insight into all of the major stories coming out of the rich and intense climes of La Liga and beyond.

Spain have by most people’s estimates been the best side at Euro 2024, and their victory over France was met with the euphoria of genuine moment that will go down in history – Lamine Yamal’s golazo.

In Iberia, Spain are no doubt regarded as favourites, and while there is optimism, and a belief that La Roja are the better team, England’s knack for finding a way in extremis, and the underperforming quality in their ranks has brought with it a certain cautiousness ahead of Sunday. The good atmosphere around the Spain squad has been one of the most visible reasons to believe in their side though.

"Harry Kane is one of the best forwards there is."

"The English team has decisive players up front and they can do a lot of damage with just sparks. We must keep a close eye on them."

??Spain centre-back Dani Vivian #Euro2024 #England #LaRoja pic.twitter.com/Gb0LXgdNH5

— Football España (@footballespana_) July 11, 2024

That atmosphere has been felt throughout Spain, but a little less in Bilbao. Although their players are a key reason for their success, the constant speculation surrounding Nico Williams, linked with Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Barcelona, has rubbed Athletic Club up the wrong way. President Jon Uriarte criticised Barcelona counterpart Joan Laporta for publicly declaring an interest – Williams reportedly has agreed personal terms with the Blaugrana.

Arsenal intend to compete with Barcelona for Mikel Merino by all accounts too, but there Mikel Arteta may have more reason for optimism. Chelsea are also interested in Williams still, even if they are looking at alternatives, but they have given up on Atletico Madrid’s Samu Omorodion, as per the latest in Spain.

Josema Gimenez was fuming about the events ar Copa America last night. pic.twitter.com/5d98PhFR1t

— Football España (@footballespana_) July 11, 2024

Real Madrid can finally present Kylian Mbappe as their ultimate galactico signing on Tuesday at noon at the Santiago Bernabeu after France were knocked out – already there is a 4-6 week wait for ‘Mbappe 9’ shirts.

Their efforts are now focused on Leny Yoro, who they have agreed terms with. Manchester United are trying to persuade him to change his mind and head to Old Trafford though, and the fact that Los Blancos have identified an alternative to Yoro is perhaps a reason for a little optimism for Erik ten Hag.

? "Speak now, speak now!"

Lamine Yamal sends a clear message to Adrien Rabiot, after helping Spain to victory over France at #EURO2024.pic.twitter.com/aTiNNdNPzQ

— Football España (@footballespana_) July 9, 2024

Alvaro Morata’s future remains in the air with talk that he will U-turn on his decision to stay in Spain, and head to AC Milan. United’s Donny van de Beek has arrived in Girona to sign with the Champions League side. Finally, a warning to the England squad, just avoid the topic of Lamine Yamal in press conferences, Adrien Rabiot wasn’t even that critical of him, and it did not end well for him.

The post Inside Spain: Kylian Mbappe’s arrival, Chelsea give up on forward and tension over Nico Williams appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Inside Spain is a weekly instalment brought to you by Football España, providing an insight into all of the major stories coming out of the rich and intense climes of La Liga and beyond.

Euro 2024 has been a good time for Spain, with La Roja playing comfortably the best football at the tournament, and now arguably into the final four as favourites. An injury to Pedri was the main sour note from their win over Germany, but even then it was his replacement Dani Olmo who first scored and then provided the cross for Mikel Merino’s outstanding header.

The tournament has provided a useful barrier for many of the Spain players linked with a move, with Nico Williams, Olmo and Merino (and his father) all saying they will deal with transfers after the tournament – when they will also be exempt from media duties too. Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta clearly still enjoys watching La Liga, as not only have Williams and Merino been linked to the Gunners, there’s also Jules Kounde and long-term target Martin Zubimendi.

There’s bad news on the latter front, as Zubimendi has, like last summer, reiterated his desire to stay at Real Sociedad. Kounde has also in recent months said he has no plans to leave Barcelona, but there is a steady stream of links to French defender, and if Barcelona cannot sell Ronald Araujo, then seemingly they would be open to letting Kounde go.

? Ronald Araujo is set to miss 6-8 weeks, as reported by Javi Miguel.

The #FCBarcelona defender injured his hamstring while playing in Uruguay's Copa America quarter-final against Brazil. pic.twitter.com/esgZyDzmPG

— Football España (@footballespana_) July 7, 2024

Benfica have been heavily linked to Joao Felix this week. Atletico Madrid would not only be delighted not to have to loan him back to Barcelona on a cheaper deal, and to move him permanently, but there has been no offer for Felix yet. It remains to be seen whether he would be open to an offer if one arrived. Chelsea appear to have re-opened talks for Samu Omorodion, but if Atletico demand his release clause, then it might be a little too much for the Blues.

Across the city, Real Madrid continue their waiting game for Leny Yoro, but another name familiar to Arsenal fans, Dani Ceballos, is looking to leave for more minutes. If Los Blancos are to let him go, they want a decent offer though, meaning the Premier League is his most likely destination.

West Ham have been linked with a number of players this summer, and the latest to be attributed to their shortlist is Villarreal’s Alexander Sorloth, who finished runner-up as top scorer in Spain last summer. It seems as if it will be a busy summer in Spain this year, but all eyes are on France on Tuesday for now, as Luis de la Fuente steps forward as an unlikely hero.

The post Inside Spain: Arsenal scouring Spain’s top talents, Chelsea re-open talks for forward and Joao Felix future appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Chelsea have identified Atletico Madrid striker Samu Omorodion as their first choice striker target according to reports in Italy.

The Blues are in the market for a new forward to compete with and complement Nicolas Jackson, who scored 14 Premier League goals in his debut season last time out.

There was strong interest in RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko, but the 21-year-old decided to stay in Germany, whilst Napoli’s Victor Osimhen was deemed too expensive.

Chelsea turn to Samu Omorodion

Chelsea have been pursuing a deal for Aston Villa’s Jhon Duran, and it was reported last week by The Telegraph an agreement was broadly in place for a deal worth up to £40m, although there were still some hurdles to overcome.

The likes of Serhou Guirassy, Lois Openda and Dominic Solanke have been touted as possible alternatives should the Blues decide against signing Duran.

However Italian outlet Di Marzio have reported Chelsea have identified Atletico Madrid’s Omorodion as their first choice as they look for a new striker.

The 20-year-old scored nine goals whilst on loan at Deportivo Alaves last season and has now returned to  the Spanish capital.

Di Marzio add that Chelsea will try to reach an agreement with Atletico quickly due to the competition for Omorodion and even had an offer of €40m rejected.

The report states the La Liga outfit value Omorodion at around €80m which is believed to be his release clause, with Roma and Napoli also interested.

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It appears Jackson will be trusted as Chelsea’s first choice striker next season with the Blues clearly looking for a striker to compete with him rather than someone who will instantly be the main man.

Chelsea have already signed Tosin Adarabioyo on a free transfer from neighbours Fulham and are pushing hard to sign Crystal Palace star Michael Olise as they look to strengthen a squad which finished sixth last season.

The post Chelsea identify 20-year-old La Liga star as their first choice striker target appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Inside Spain is a weekly instalment brought to you by Football España, providing an insight into all of the major stories coming out of the rich and intense climes of La Liga and beyond.

Barcelona and Ronald Araujo. There are few things that you cannot read about his future, the clubs intentions and what will happen in the summer. Here’s your interpreter.

The Catalan side have been in talks with Araujo for months, but no progress has been made on a new deal, meaning that the offer is not close to where it needs to be. Barcelona maintain they want to keep him, and Araujo that he wants to stay, and both may be true, but the numbers need to work out. Neither side wants to ruin relations with the fans, and so both are playing their cards tight to their chest, until a move is possible at least.

Bayern Munich did make progress with Araujo in January, but that trail has gone cold until they can establish who the manager will be at least. Football España can confirm Manchester United are one of the Premier League sides interested in him, and no doubt would be able to meet his asking price, somewhere between €80-100m for the 24-year-old.

Villarreal playmaker Alex Baena admitted he would love to play for Barcelona on the other hand, but his €60m release clause means that if he does move, Aston Villa are his most likely destination. Remarkably, after spending €30m plus €31m in variables on Vitor Roque, Barcelona are considering loaning him out, which is likely due to the fact he is not having an impact, and will be costly to register next season for their salary limit. The Blaugrana are also in talks with Real Betis and Argentina midfielder Guido Rodriguez, who would at least be free.

Rodrygo on Real Madrid's secret?? pic.twitter.com/AMFY4xMZUw

— Football España (@footballespana_) May 2, 2024

Betis appear to have agreed terms with Marc Roca, now they just need to wait and see if Leeds United get promoted or not to. Atletico Madrid supposedly had a pre-contract with Dani Ceballos of rivals Real Madrid, and were reportedly open to offers for Jan Oblak, but the club itself have denied that in both cases.

Between all but securing the La Liga title and drawing with Bayern Munich in midweek, Head Scout Juni Calafat has been in touch with River Plate sensation Franco Mastantuono, while General Manager Jose Angel Sanchez has opened discussions with River. United, Manchester City and Chelsea have all been linked to him, but this is bad news for their hopes – Calafat and Sanchez basically haven’t missed since their tandem secured the signature of Vinicius Junior in 2018. Turns out he’s quite good, as was in evidence this weekend.

Almeria were officially relegated over the weekend, whereas Girona secured European football last week. In bizarre story of the week, Rayo Vallecano were delayed on their flight home from a defeat to Villarreal, and had to end up finding a bus to drive back to Madrid in. Their name means lightning bolt [Rayo], and there’s a red one on their kits and their badge – their aircraft was left out of use by a lightning bolt at the time. Not just that, it’s the second time this has happened this season to Rayo.

The post Inside Spain: The Good and the Bad for Manchester United, Real Madrid move and Aston Villa interest appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Inside Spain is a weekly instalment brought to you by Football España, providing an insight into all of the major stories coming out of the rich and intense climes of La Liga and beyond.

It felt as if last weekend’s La Liga action was just a warm-up for the second legs, and the cooling down process from Spain’s three ties might take some time. Only there’s a Clasico this weekend.

Real Madrid’s penalty shootout victory over Manchester City felt either sickeningly or gloriously inevitable depending on where your allegiances lie, having more or less held Manchester City at bay for 120 minutes.

Carlo and Davide Ancelotti went back to their Italian roots, but it was in fact Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta who gave them a hand through to the semi-finals, where they would have met if the Gunners could have beaten Bayern Munich.

Atletico Madrid and Barcelona might have met in the semi-finals had they been able to see out their leads in the second legs, but both collapsed in dramatic fashion. Atletico continued their disastrous away form, Antoine Griezmann was a shadow of himself and Diego Simeone proved that they are no longer a defensive side, only in the wrong way. It has sparked talk of revolution in the summer, but that talk has come and gone in previous summers too.

Jude Bellingham on last night's triumph?? #RealMadrid pic.twitter.com/VKFgn8V1sV

— Football España (@footballespana_) April 18, 2024

Meanwhile at Barcelona, revolution is the status quo. Their exit to Paris Saint-Germain was catalysed by Ronald Araujo’s sending off, and then made worse by a silly penalty given away by Joao Cancelo.

Ilkay Gundogan was not amused, and unleashed a steaming hot rant about the mistakes of his teammates, that left the ears of the pair above stinging. Araujo then responded on Thursday, adding fuel to the rumours of a rift in the dressing room.

It does mean the tough decisions are starting to be made at Barcelona though. That exit seems to be the final nail in the Xavi Hernandez coffin, and they appear to have lined up his replacement – B team manager Rafael Marquez, another former Joan Laporta player. Meanwhile the board at Barcelona are reportedly split on whether to cash in on Araujo, with interest from Bayern and a Premier League side, with their financial situation making the €80-100m they could get for him look very appealing.

The post Inside Spain: Mikel Arteta behind Real Madrid heroics and the literal fallout after Barcelona exit appeared first on CaughtOffside.