Atletico Madrid 'tried to PULL OUT of £33.7m move' for Chelsea star Conor Gallagher... as chief of rival Spanish club says Diego Simeone's side wanted to sign one of their midfielders instead

Atletico Madrid reportedly tried to pull out of a move for Chelsea star Conor Gallagher, according to the sporting director of a rival LaLiga club.

Chelsea are closing in on a £33.7m sale of the England international, who is set to undergo a medical in Spain. 

The Blues are also finalising a £34.5m deal for striker Samu Omorodion who would head in the opposite direction.

However, Valencia's sporting director Miguel Angel Corona has reportedly claimed to Spanish press that he was told by Atletico that they were trying to pull out of a move for Gallagher.  

As reported by Relovo, Corona was reportedly told not to worry as Atletico were 'trying to pull out of the operation to sign Gallagher', to instead bring in Valencia midfielder Javi Guerra. 

Guerra was reportedly at home with his bags packed waiting for a call from Atletico on Wednesday, only to return to Valencia training that afternoon after his £21.5m move to the Madrid side fell through. 

A deal for Guerra to join Atletico Madrid was agreed on Sunday - when Simeone's side expected Gallagher to reject them. However, Gallagher agreed to joining Atletico a day later.

Corona told Spanish media: 'I am going to try to tell facts, objectively. 

'There is an agreement on Sunday between Lay Hoon Chan (Valencia club president) and the largest shareholder of Atletico Madrid [Miguel Angel Gil Marin], 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.'

He added: 'The Wednesday, the largest shareholder apologises, show us understanding and tells us that he also wanted to get out of the deal. They apologise to us because they know what their actions have been.'

Gallagher and his representatives held talks with Atletico Madrid over the weekend which led to him accepting a move to join the Spanish side.

The England international had previously turned down a contract extension with Chelsea, with his contract at the club to expire next summer. 

The 24-year-old was told by new Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca on Friday that he would only be a squad player, with the Italian favouring a possession-heavy style of play at Stamford Bridge. 

This made his exit from Stamford Bridge more likely to happen, though a collapsed transfer to Atletico Madrid could have caused headaches with those behind the scenes at the club.

Selling a homegrown talent like Gallagher would help ensure them to comply with Profit and Sustainability Rules.  

Omorodion is closing in on a move to Chelsea, with Atletico keen to recoup finances after splashing £81m on Man City's Julian Alvarez - with the Argentine set to make the switch.  

Atletico Madrid sources reportedly told the Athletic that it would have been 'complicated' for them to sign both Guerra and Gallagher. 

With Guerra's move to Atletico Madrid seemingly off, it appears that Chelsea are still set to sell their academy star.