Aston Villa reignite transfer interest in Atlético Madrid star according to reports

Aston Villa are starting to make moves in the January transfer window and journalist Ben Jacobs is reporting that the Villans are still sweet on a long-term target from La Liga.

Villa have been linked with former Chelsea and England midfielder for several transfer windows and Jacobs reported on Friday that their interest remains. Gallagher, now 25, has played in the Premier League for Chelsea, West Bromwich Albion and Crystal Palace.

Capped 22 times by former England manager Gareth Southgate, Gallagher left boyhood club Chelsea to join La Liga titans Atlético Madrid in the summer of 2024.

Villa ‘exploring a loan’ for Conor Gallagher

With a squad starting to look a little on the old side and the club’s financial freedom limited, Villa manager Unai Emery is beginning to focus his transfer efforts on the younger end of the market.

Villa’s first signing of the January window was 19-year-old Alysson from Grêmio and 16-year-old Metz forward Brian Madjo is understood to be close to sealing a move to Villa Park too.

“Aston Villa [are] keen on Conor Gallagher,” reported Jacobs. “Unai Emery [is] a long-term admirer with Villa exploring a loan with [an] obligation to buy.

“[I] understand Atléti still want permanence to any exit and are not currently prepared to sanction a loan with buy option.”

That’s a significant sticking point. Villa must manage their financial details very closely to remain compliant with Premier League and UEFA rules and prefer an initial loan for good reason.

Atléti have their own priorities and will also be aware of the Harvey Elliott debacle, but we’re still in early January and it’s possible that a deal could be done if the clubs are agreed on the basic fact of a trade for Gallagher this month.

Emery’s midfield is well-stocked but not future-proofed

The centre of midfield is a position of strength for Villa. Boubacar Kamara, Amadou Onana and Youri Tielemans are competing for two spots in the middle, with John McGinn being deployed elsewhere and both Ross Barkley and Lamare Bogarde in reserve.

But while Bogarde and George Hemmings are both promising, neither is proven. McGinn is 31, Barkley 32. Tielemans is 28. Only Kamara and Onana are in their mid-twenties, and that – along with Tielemans’ future, which Villa will start to address in the summer – means that there are decisions to come in the future.

Villa’s financial situation and the regulations that underpin it mean that selling players at the right time is going to be a big part of the job for the club’s new president of football operations, Roberto Olabe.

That’s not 31-year-olds and 32-year-olds. It’s 27-year-olds and 28-year-olds, which is less than ideal from a sporting perspective but is the reality of where Villa now have to operate.

Bringing in players of Gallagher’s age and ability can help to keep that approach sustainable. If Villa were to decide not to extend Tielemans’ contract for financial reasons, for example, having someone like Gallagher already on the books would be beneficial.

Should a bid materialise and Villa tempt Atlético Madrid and Gallagher to do a deal, he couldn’t ask for a better manager to get him back into the England picture.

It’s exactly the kind of transfer I can see Villa pursuing in the January window and I think Gallagher has lots left to offer in the next phase of his career.

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