Manchester United could revive their pursuit of Conor Gallagher as they look to reinforce Ruben Amorim’s midfield mid-season.
Back in the final week of the summer window, the Red Devils had a loan bid rejected for Gallagher, as Atletico Madrid were only willing to consider a permanent deal.
United had instead prioritised the late addition of Senne Lammens after being displeased with Altay Bayindir and Andre Onana’s starts to the campaign; the latter has since joined Trabzonspor for the term.
United mull over winter swoop for struggling Gallagher
Now, in the build-up to the window reopening, INEOS are considering whether a deal for him would be more feasible. A new report from Football Insider claims Amorim has ‘green-lit’ a proposed approach for Gallagher.
“Man United tried for Connor Gallagher in the final days of the summer transfer window, so that kind of opportunity, in case he becomes available or any other player with that kind of skill set becomes available on a good deal, maybe with a loan with option to buy for Man United, might be interesting,” said Fabrizio Romano earlier this month.
The England international has fallen out of favour under Diego Simeone; he has made only two La Liga starts since 2025/2026 got underway, featuring a further seven times off the bench.
A graduate of Cobham Academy, Chelsea opted to offload Gallagher in August 2024 for a fee of £34 million. It was thought at the time that the club were only pushing to facilitate his departure due to him generating pure profit, therefore aiding their PSR situation.
Why Gallagher might favour a half-season loan elsewhere
From the player’s point of view, he’ll likely be growing concerned that his chances of making Thomas Tuchel’s World Cup squad next year are diminishing with every minute he spends watching the action unfold from the bench.
Gallagher, 25, has earned 22 senior caps for his nation thus far, but hasn’t been called up to the team since June, missing out in both the September and October international breaks.
A return to the Premier League, where Tuchel is frequently spotted in attendance at fixtures, could allow him to reignite his best form and move up in the German coach’s estimations.
