Aston Villa dealt blow after move for England star hijacked by rivals
Villa’s hopes of signing Conor Gallagher appear over with the midfielder instead poised to join Tottenham.
Unai Emery had appeared set to land the 25-year-old when Villa were in advanced talks with Atletico Madrid on Monday afternoon over a loan deal, with an option to buy.
But Tottenham swooped late to hijack the move and Gallagher is now destined for north London on a permanent deal worth more than £35million.
Villa, who are once again operating under tight financial restrictions, could not get close to matching that figure and so walked away from negotiations.
It is also believed Tottenham were prepared to offer the England international significantly more in salary.
Gallagher is expected to travel to the UK on Tuesday to undergo a medical and finalise personal terms.
The development will come as a blow to Emery, who has long admired Gallagher.
Villa attempted to sign the former Albion loanee during the 2024 summer window, before he moved to Atletico for £38m.
Emery has at least been boosted by the new Boubacar Kamara is only expected to miss between two to three weeks with the knee injury sustained in Saturday’s 2-1 FA Cup win at Spurs.
Villa are also still exploring a move for striker Tammy Abraham. The 28-year-old is currently on loan at Besiktas from Roma and Villa are exploring whether an agreement can be reached to bring him back to the Premier League.
Forward Donyell Malen, meanwhile, is a target for Roma, who have held talks over a possible loan deal.
