'Hard to do'- Atletico Madrid make stance clear on £45m rated workhorse as Tottenham seek January move

Spurs do not have a single midfielder in their ranks that can make consistent impact on both ends of the football pitch. The likes of Pape Matar Sarr and Rodrigo Bentancur thrive without the ball more often than not, as they are clearly more suited to stop opposition attacks. But there is no player at N17 that can drive the team forward from deep and play as a box-to-box midfielder.

Tottenham might not be able to land Atletico Madrid star Conor Gallagher

It was reported earlier that Tottenham had identified Conor Gallagher as the perfect player to operate in the #8 role. The Lilywhites were also willing to put in a compelling offer of around £45m for the England international’s services. Not only that, but Gallagher was also reported to have shown signs of leaning towards a January move to N17 after not getting regular minutes at Atletico Madrid.

However, there is a new update that has emerged regarding Gallagher’s future in Spain. As per Pete O’Rourke (via Football Insider),

“It would be a hard deal to do. It’s no surprise that there were some clubs sniffing around Gallagher in the summer. He’s still got a role to play for Simeone’s side and he’s under contract until 2029, so if they were to even consider selling him, it would take a huge sum of money.”

The journalist added,

“That makes it a difficult deal to do in January due to the fee involved and obviously Atletico would need to bring in a replacement for him as well. If they progress into the latter stages of the Champions League, they won’t be wanting to lose anybody in the January window, so that’s another obstacle in the way for Spurs.”

Landing Conor Galagher in January might not be as straightforward as it sounds for Tottenham. The England international is still seen as an important part of Diego Simeone’s team, and Atletico Madrid will not let him go on a discount in the winter. Not only that, but Spurs might also miss out on the 25-year-old if Atleti progress through to the latter stages of the Champions League, as the Spanish giants would not want to sell anybody midway through the season.

It remains to be seen what Spurs decide to do regarding the transfer situation involving Gallagher. In all honesty, there might be other players in the market that might suit Thomas Frank’s setup better. And the Lilywhites must focus on identifying other targets as the move for the 25-year-old may have reached a dead-end.