Fabrizio Romano highlights the only hurdle to United’s January deal for priceless La Liga star

Signing the dynamic midfielders Ruben Amorim craves is reportedly at the top of INEOS’ 2026 plans. As promising as United’s midfield is turning out to be, most agree that with a dependable pivot of mobile, progressive players, they could be significantly better. With it now obvious that United are on the hunt for athletic midfielders, links to such profiles continue to surface. One of the most persistent names is Atletico Madrid’s Conor Gallagher. Gallagher fits perfectly into Amorim’s tactical play. He is a dynamic, all-round box-to-box midfielder known for his high work rate, tenacious pressing, and goal-scoring runs into the box. He is precisely the kind of player who could inject fresh intensity into United’s engine room. It is worth recalling that, towards the end of the summer window, United approached Atleti with a loan offer for the former Chelsea man. But the offer was ultimately rebuffed. Yet United has held on to that interest. The Peoples Person recently relayed a report from Spain claiming: “United are considering submitting an offer of around €60 million to convince Atletico.” Naturally, United fans will have been looking forward to the club entering negotiations with the La Liga side over the Englishman. Fabrizio Romano drops Gallagher bombshell However, Fabrizio Romano has now delivered a conflicting update. Speaking on his YouTube channel, the Italian transfer guru dismissed the idea of United pushing for a permanent deal for Gallagher in January. Instead, he claimed: “Conor Gallagher is an option for Manchester United in January on a loan deal.” Romano went on to highlight the only hurdle to that move: “Manchester United were seriously interested last summer, but any move depends on Atletico Madrid.” United’s realistic winter transfer options Romano made these remarks while analysing United’s midfield options for the upcoming window. He noted that, with moves for Angelo Stiller, Elliot Anderson and Adam Wharton unlikely to come cheap, it is unrealistic to expect any of them to arrive in January. He also dismissed links to Lucas Paqueta, labelling them as “wide of the mark.” In contrast, for him, Gallagher on a mid-season loan appears far more attainable, provided Diego Simeone agrees to let the 25-year-old leave. So far this season, Gallagher has largely been used as a squad player, with more cameo appearances than starts. World Cup hope His tricky situation has already cost him an England call-up in the last two international breaks. If he is to make a return to the Three Lions fold, something has to give; he needs regular minutes. Should Atleti fail to offer him consistent game time, it may be worth Gallagher submitting a transfer request, a move that could help sway the Wanda Metropolitano hierarchy to sanction a January loan. At United, Gallagher, whom Mauricio Pochettino once described as “priceless”, could well be the perfect alternative to Casemiro. Be the ideal midfield alternative that Galatasaray-linked Manuel Ugarte has struggled to be. Featured image Aitor Alcade via Getty Images The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social Daniel Onguko Dan is a writer with The Peoples Person, an avid Manchester United fan whose passion for the Red Devils evolved into writing about them. He was introduced to United back in 2008, and his love for the club has continued to grow ever since. Like every other United fan, he believes the club will soon return to its rightful place and strives to reflect that belief in his writing. While he has also written about other Premier League sides, including Arsenal for Just Arsenal and The Arsenal Analysis Blogspot, Dan lives and breathes Manchester United.