Gallagher's City Absence Highlights Chelsea Transfer Uncertainty

Conor Gallagher will be absent from Chelsea's clash against Manchester City at Stamford Bridge, with his future remaining uncertain amidst a stalled move to Atlético Madrid.

The midfielder had agreed personal terms with the Spanish club and even underwent a medical in Madrid last week. Atlético's bid of €42 million (£36 million) for Gallagher was accepted by Chelsea last month, but the transfer has hit a snag.

Despite the agreement, Gallagher returned to the UK last week at Chelsea's request. New Blues boss Enzo Maresca confirmed that Gallagher would not feature in the Premier League encounter against City, citing the ongoing situation with his potential transfer.

"He won't be involved for this game also because, as you know, he is currently trying to find a solution with the club," Maresca explained. "We will see what happens."

The manager acknowledged the commonality of such transfer complications in the summer window, stating: "Unfortunately, these things happen every summer, sometimes at Chelsea, sometimes at Liverpool, City, Arsenal, Bournemouth, Newcastle... All the clubs during the summer have some problems unfortunately because players want to leave or perhaps they want a player to leave. But at the end, every time it finishes with all of them happy, so hopefully for Conor in this moment, his situation is going to finish where the player, the club, the manager, all of them are going to be happy."

Gallagher's absence from the City game highlights the uncertainty surrounding his future at Stamford Bridge. While a move to Atlético Madrid remains a possibility, the situation remains unresolved, leaving the midfielder's immediate playing prospects unclear. It remains to be seen whether the transfer will ultimately materialise or if Gallagher will remain a Chelsea player.