Chelsea FC and Aston Villa have a very healthy relationship, as evidenced by the deal they made for Carney Chukwuemeka a couple years ago. It is looking like they may do more business together this summer with Conor Gallagher and John Duran trading places, but not part of a swap deal.
(For part two of today’s Chelsea transfer talk, go here)
Gallagher was typically one of the first names written on to the team sheet, by manager Mauricio Pochettino, but as you know, Poch is now gone.
Although Gallagher is a fan favorite to some extent, he has been tipped to leave Chelsea for awhile, even before the Enzo Maresca era began.
According to The Athletic Villa have held preliminary talks about signing the 24-year-old English midfielder.
He’s entering the final year of his contract, and Stamford Bridge must sell him this summer, or risk losing him for free in 2025.
Gallagher has scored nine times in 72 total appearances for Chelsea.
Shifting gears to Durán, Chelsea were interested in signing the 20-year-old Colombian striker in 2022, when he left the Chicago Fire FC of MLS to come to Villa Park for $18M.
Instead the west London club signed his teammate, Gabriel “Gaga” Slonina for $10M, who is trying to work his way up the Blues goalkeeper depth chart.
Slonina, a native of Addison, IL, which is a suburb of Chicago, spent last season on loan with Belgian Pro League club K.A.S. Eupen.
As for Duran, he scored five goals in 35 matches for Villa this past season, after having netted eight times in 27 games for the Major League Soccer franchise the previous season.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to Ravens Wire, part of the USA Today SMG’s NFL Wire Network and the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Tribune and the Washington Times. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter.