Aston Villa exploring loan for Man United target who wants Premier League transfer | OneFootball

Aston Villa are reportedly exploring a loan transfer deal for Atletico Madrid midfielder and rumoured Manchester United target Conor Gallagher.

The former Chelsea man has struggled to get as much playing time in Diego Simeone’s side this season, so is open to a return to the Premier League.

That’s according to a report from talkSPORT, with Villa looking into getting Gallagher in on an initial loan, with the possibility of later making the move permanent.

This follows Man Utd also showing an interest in signing Gallagher on loan, as per TEAMtalk, while Fabrizio Romano has also mentioned the Red Devils keeping an eye on him.

Conor Gallagher could be heading back to the Premier League

The latest from talkSPORT is that Gallagher is not necessarily in a hurry to leave Spain, though he could welcome a potential move back to England to boost his World Cup hopes.

Conor Gallagher reacts during Atletico Madrid’s defeat to Real Madrid (Photo by Yasser Bakhsh/Getty Images)

Gallagher will likely be an outsider for Thomas Tuchel’s squad for the 2026 World Cup, but if he got more regular playing time he might be able to sneak in late on.

Villa could be a great move for him as Unai Emery’s side are playing well at the moment and could even be in with a chance of qualifying for the Champions League.

If Gallagher could join and become a key player at Villa Park then that would surely turn Tuchel’s head and give him a chance of adding to his 22 England caps.

Will we see Man United move for Gallagher?

It will be interesting to see if United still end up providing competition to Villa for the signing of Gallagher this month.

The Red Devils could do with more quality in midfield, with Gallagher likely to be an upgrade on the ageing Casemiro and the unconvincing Manuel Ugarte.

Still, the 25-year-old might also do well to avoid MUFC for now as they’re in a bit of a mess at the moment as they once again look to change manager.

Villa look far more stable and like the kind of environment Gallagher could do well in, even if United are the bigger and more glamorous name.