Tottenham backed to sign ‘priceless’ gem from arch rivals as Man Utd transfer failure enhances Levy belief

Tottenham are very much on course to sign Conor Gallagher from Chelsea this summer with the price they will likely have to pay coming to light and with Manchester United’s failure to disrupt a big Aston Villa transfer significantly aiding their chances.

The England midfielder has been on the Tottenham wanted list ever since Ange Postecoglou took charge in N17. Looking to build an energetic, all action side, with a hard-working and hard-running central midfield axis the key, Gallagher is seen as an ideal addition to his side.

However, while some at Chelsea remain very much open to his sale, the player has very much been a regular in their side last season under Mauricio Pochettino, captaining the side for the bulk of his 50 appearances for the Blues in the 2023/24 campaign.

Indeed, Pochettino went to great lengths to oppose his planned sale, which would go down as pure profit owing to his rise through their academy and with the Surrey-born star classed as a homegrown product, as far as Profit and Sustainability Rules are concerned.

While arguments over Gallagher‘s potential exit continue to cause ructions in the Chelsea boardroom – and sources have confirmed to TEAMtalk that the 18-times capped England star has made it crystal clear that he would love to stay – Tottenham have continued to hover behind the scenes for a deal.

Tottenham told Conor Gallagher signing is ON as price emerges

With that in mind, Chelsea have prepared for his possible exit by already signing Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall from Leicester to reunite with boss Enzo Maresca.

The Blues, though, still want and need to sign a prolific new striker, meaning the sale of Gallagher could become a necessity to help finance any deal.

Now former Tottenham man Alan Hutton says he is of the belief that Gallagher will indeed end up signing for Tottenham this summer after revealing the likely price they will need to shell out.

“I think he makes Tottenham better. He would give them a different option,” Hutton told Tottenham News of a player branded ‘priceless’ by Pochettino.

“Do I think they could get him for £30m? Probably not; I think Chelsea value him at £50m. Could they meet somewhere in the middle? I think they’d be getting an excellent player with experience who was the captain at Chelsea last season, and he definitely makes them stronger in the middle of the pitch.”

Tottenham’s chances of a raid for Gallagher have been enhanced by the fact that his other suitors, Aston Villa, are instead now looking at signing Amadou Onana from Everton.

“I think he would flourish under Ange Postecoglou with what he’s trying to do at that club, so it’s going to be an interesting one.

Now that Villa, who I know were interested in him, are going for Amadou Onana, that will probably be dead in the water, and that almost leaves Spurs to go and chase after him. I’ve got a feeling he will leave,” Hutton added.

“I didn’t at the start, but I feel that the longer this goes on, he will move somewhere.”

Man Utd transfer failure adds to Levy belief

Indeed, Villa have agreed to pay the Toffees a fee of around £50m for Onana, who will move to Villa Park as a replacement for Douglas Luiz, who left for Juventus.

Onana has been linked with a move away from Goodison Park for quite some time with several big-hitting sides, including Barcelona, thought to have taken a look at his services.

However, an impressive Euro 2024 for Onana on a personal level has seen Villa ramp up their interest in securing his services and a deal to secure his signing is expected to be wrapped up in the coming days.

Now it has emerged that Onana has agreed to make the move to the Midlands after it emerged that Manchester United have failed with a late attempt to hijack the deal.

The Red Devils are in the market for a new central midfielder themselves this summer and had prioritised a move for Joao Neves. But the Benfica teenager is now closing on a move to PSG, leaving United to look at potential alternatives, of which Onana is understood to be one.

However, any attempts at a transfer hijack are destined to fail with the Belgium international deciding to sign on the dotted line for Unai Emery’s side, who also have the added bonus of being able to offer Champions League football next season.

That leaves United to consider a number of alternatives, with Manuel Ugarte of PSG and free agent Adrien Rabiot both now under consideration.

And with Villa now set to land Onana, Spurs can expect a pretty-much clear path to Gallagher if and when Chelsea decide to sell.