Even though Samu Omorodion turned down Chelsea, he may still play in the Premier League before the end of the summer, according to sources.
The Atletico Madrid player unexpectedly rejected a last-minute transfer to Stamford Bridge on Sunday due to a dispute over his contract and image rights.
Conor Gallagher’s move to Atletico is thus now in peril and will fall through if the La Liga powerhouses are unable to close a big deal.
In order to do this, both teams are negotiating a deal that would allow Joao Felix to rejoin Chelsea for about £40 million, however it’s unclear if Enzo Maresca is genuinely interested in the Portugal attacker.
Chelsea might not even have to sign an Atletico player, though, since Omorodion is reportedly being pursued by three other Premier League teams, according to the Daily Mail.
The 20-year-old forward is being watched by West Ham, Bournemouth, and Wolves. If one of them signs him, Chelsea could be able to save money by not having to pay for Gallagher’s move.
Wolves and Bournemouth, in particular, are looking for a new attacker after losing Pedro Neto to the Blues and Dominic Solanke to Tottenham.
Bournemouth are also eyeing up Arsenal’s Eddie Nketiah as a possible Solanke replacement.
Additional reports claim that Bayer Leverkusen, Villarreal and Real Betis are also keeping tabs on Omorodion.
Chelsea had agreed to pay £34.5m for the Spaniard and a similar fee would be required by any prospective buyer in order to facilitate Gallagher’s move.
For his part, the England midfielder is still keen on securing his move to Spain and is currently in transfer limbo at a Madrid hotel.
The 24-year-old cannot train with his prospective new teammates so has been keeping fit on his own for the past five days but now faces an anxious wait to see if Atletico can raise the necessary funds.