Romano: £33m ex-Chelsea star now being ‘monitored’ by Man Utd ahead of Jan, they had summer bid rejected

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·4. November 2025

Romano: £33m ex-Chelsea star now being ‘monitored’ by Man Utd ahead of Jan, they had summer bid rejected

Manchester United are actively monitoring Conor Gallagher’s situation at Atletico Madrid in case a January deal becomes feasible.

The Red Devils are being linked with more and more targets in the lead-up to the January window opening, although their interest in the ex-Chelsea star dates back to the summer.

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United and Conor Gallagher: What happened in the summer?

Gallagher isn’t forced to see out the season in Madrid. (Photo by Florencia Tan Jun/Getty Images)

In the closing stages of the summer window, when United had decided against pursuing a permanent move for Carlos Baleba and were sizing up cut-price alternatives, they submitted a loan bid for Gallagher in hopes of prising him from the Metropolitano.

Atletico rebuffed the proposal, which they’d also already done just a few weeks prior when Crystal Palace had contacted them to discuss the prospect of bringing the former loanee back to Selhurst Park.

Unfortunately for the two English sides, Atleti were only interested in sanctioning a sale, and neither could afford what the Spaniards would’ve been expecting – especially having had him for just a year at the time.

Yet, with Gallagher now still struggling for game time under Diego Simeone, it has raised questions as to whether a mid-season loan would make the most sense for him.

Why United retain their Gallagher interest

The Chelsea graduate was sold for £34 million last year. (Photo by Florencia Tan Jun/Getty Images)

He’ll know full well that if he has any chance of making Thomas Tuchel’s World Cup squad next summer amidst such stern competition in the middle of the park, he simply has to be playing regular football.

For reference, the 25-year-old has started only two of Atletico’s opening 11 La Liga games and totalled a measly 328 minutes on the pitch.

“There’s no negotiation now, so nothing in terms of ‘latest’ – Gallagher remains one of the players monitored by Man United, as he was on the shortlist at the end of August,” Fabrizio Romano commented this week in his GiveMeSport newsletter.

“It will depend on what Atletico want to do, as they weren’t open to a loan move in August.”