Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher is reportedly willing to extend his Blues contract if he continues to receive assurances over his playing time.
The England international's current terms at Stamford Bridge only run until the end of the 2024-25 season, and he was heavily linked with a move elsewhere over the summer.
Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United were reportedly interested in a deal for Gallagher, but Chelsea would have been reluctant to do business with their London rivals for a home-grown player.
In the end, the window slammed shut with Gallagher still on the books at Stamford Bridge, and he has quickly become central to Mauricio Pochettino's plans in the 2023-24 season.
The England international has started all eight of Chelsea's Premier League games so far this season, and he registered his first goal contribution of the new term against Burnley on Saturday, providing the assist for Raheem Sterling's strike.
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Due to injuries to Reece James and Ben Chilwell in recent weeks, Gallagher has also worn the captain's armband on five occasions for Chelsea this term, once in the EFL Cup and in each of their last four Premier League games.
Having quickly earned Pochettino's trust, Gallagher is now expected to sit down and discuss his future with Chelsea, who would likely try to offload him next year if he makes it clear that he will not pen fresh terms.
However, Football Insider claims that the midfielder would be happy to extend his contract with his boyhood club, so long as he remains a regular starter in Pochettino's setup.
Gallagher has often featured alongside two nine-figure midfielders in Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez this term, although the Blues did also beef up their engine room with the captures of Lesley Ugochukwu and Romeo Lavia this summer.
While Ugochukwu has only earned fleeting minutes so far, Lavia has been kept waiting for his debut due to a troublesome ankle injury, which he is not expected to heal from during the international break.
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Once Lavia returns to full fitness, competition for minutes in Pochettino's midfield will intensify, and Gallagher's future was plunged into doubt during the Blues' relentless summer of spending.
However, the report adds that he is now considered a "big part" of Pochettino's plans moving forward and is eyeing as many minutes as possible ahead of Euro 2024 next summer.
Gallagher has been on the books at Chelsea since the age of eight, but he was loaned out to Charlton Athletic, Swansea City, West Bromwich Albion and Crystal Palace before being promoted to the first team.
The 23-year-old has now come up with three goals and two assists in 55 matches for Chelsea across all competitions, collecting a Europa League winners' medal in the 2018-19 campaign.
The Blues enter the international break sat 11th in the table owing to their back-to-back wins over Burnley and Fulham, and Pochettino's men host title-chasing Arsenal in their first game back on October 21.
Ben Knapton
