Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone has personally reached out to Conor Gallagher to reassure the midfielder of his desire to bring him to the Estadio Metropolitano, despite the ongoing complications surrounding the transfer, according to The Telegraph.

Gallagher, who returned to London on Tuesday night, saw his £33.7 million move to Atletico put on hold following the collapse of Samu Omorodion’s proposed transfer to Chelsea.

According to the report, Simeone made direct contact with the England international before his flight back to the UK, emphasizing how highly he values Gallagher and his determination to finalize the deal. This personal intervention by Simeone reflects his commitment to ensuring Gallagher remains confident in Atletico’s interest.

Gallagher had successfully passed a medical at Atletico Madrid, and contracts between the Spanish club and Chelsea were prepared for completion before the transfer hit a snag.

Simeone is now urgently seeking a resolution, with Atletico trying to offload Joao Felix and find a new buyer for Omorodion to generate the necessary funds for Gallagher’s signing.

The situation has sparked significant interest among Atletico supporters, who have flooded social media with messages of support under the hashtag ‘#GallagherRojiblanco’ (‘Gallagher red and white’), demonstrating their eagerness to see the midfielder in Madrid.

Atletico’s frustration is compounded by the fact that they had already committed to an £81.5 million deal for Manchester City’s Julián Álvarez, which now complicates their financial ability to complete Gallagher’s transfer.

Gallagher returned to Chelsea’s Cobham training ground on Wednesday afternoon, where he is expected to undergo fitness tests, likely away from the first-team squad.

The decision on whether he will be reintegrated into first-team training or assigned to the development squad will be made by Chelsea and head coach Enzo Maresca.

Gallagher has been warned that failing to secure a move away from Stamford Bridge this summer, after rejecting the same contract offer twice, could see him sidelined from first-team activities.