Tottenham closing in on signing of Atletico Madrid midfielder Conor Gallagher

By George Sessions, Press Association

Tottenham are close to pulling off the signing of England international Conor Gallagher, Press Association understands.

Spurs were already eager to boost their squad this month before multiple players were struck down by serious injuries and they have moved quickly for Atletico Madrid midfielder Gallagher.

Gallagher has been on the radar of the north London club for a number of years and after Spurs missed out on him in the summer of 2024, they look set to swoop in for the 25-year-old from under the noses of Aston Villa.

A fee in the region of €40 million is set to clinch Gallagher’s return back to England after a mixed spell in Spain.

The former Crystal Palace loanee has made 77 appearances for Atletico during the past 18 months and scored seven times, but never fully nailed down a starting berth in Diego Simeone’s side.

Gallagher’s anticipated arrival will be a major boost for Tottenham and under-fire head coach Thomas Frank, especially with midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur set for hamstring surgery, PA understands.

Bentancur was forced off during the latter stages of Wednesday’s 3-2 loss at Bournemouth and Frank confirmed a day later that the injury was “a bigger one” before Saturday’s FA Cup exit to Villa.

Spurs were already without a number of key players and Bentancur is set to be sidelined for at least three months after surgery was decided as the best course of action.

The absence of Bentancur alongside Lucas Bergvall on Saturday meant Frank had no recognised midfielder on the bench, with Pape Sarr and Yves Bissouma unavailable due their Africa Cup of Nations commitments.

However, if 14th-placed Spurs can complete the signing of Gallagher, it will be a welcome lift at a time when fan group Change for Tottenham have a protest planned before Saturday’s visit of rivals West Ham.