Atletico Madrid 'tried to pull out of Conor Gallagher deal' as La Liga club chief reveals WhatsApp messages and calls

One La Liga chief has claimed that WhatsApp messages prove that Atletico Madrid tried to 'pull out' of their deal to sign Conor Gallagher from Chelsea.

Chelsea have made plenty of new signings this summer, but that has necessitated a few outgoings too.

After months of speculation, Conor Gallagher looks set to join Atletico Madrid after the two clubs agreed upon a £36 million fee.

At first it looked like the Chelsea academy graduate would reject the move, but on Thursday he flew to Madrid to undergo medical tests and sign a five-year contract.

Because of Gallagher's hesitation, Atletico had a back-up plan lined up.

The Spanish giants reached an agreement to sign 20-year-old midfielder Javi Guerra from Valencia for an initial fee of €25m (£21.5m), plus a reported €5m (£4.3m) in add-ons.

However, when Gallagher agreed to join Atletico minutes before their self-imposed deadline, Diego Simeone's side were left with two incoming recruits for the same position.

There have been reports that Guerra, who has been training alone in Valencia and had his medical booked in Madrid for Tuesday, would join Atletico anyway.

But Valencia sporting director Miguel Angel Corona has revealed his club pulled out of the move once they learned of Atletico's plan.

Conor Gallagher captained Chelsea last season (Image: Getty)

Speaking to Relevo, Corona claimed: "There was an agreement on Sunday... documentation is being filled out with the player.

"And on Wednesday morning, given the delay in the return of documents, there is a question towards Atletico Madrid, what is the situation and they tell us that they are trying to get out of Chelsea’s operation with Gallagher.

"It was the first news that we and Javi Guerra had about it, that both operations were linked, and we got out of there.

"There had been constant exchange of calls, WhatsApps… And at no time had they notified us."

If Corona's claims are true, then it appears that Valencia lost trust in Atletico.

For Gallagher, joining a club that reportedly tried to get out of the agreement to sign him is a strange situation.

The collapse of the deal would have complicated Chelsea's expected signing of Samu Omorodion from Atletico in a separate £34.5m deal, which the Spanish club is using to fund their £81.5m capture of Julian Alvarez from Manchester City.