Chelsea willing to hand 22-year-old bumper contract extension after failed January transfer: Reports

Chelsea are reportedly ready to reward Conor Gallagher with a salary hike and a contract extension after refusing to offload him in January.

The 22-year-old has established himself as a vital squad member for the Blues since returning from a season-long loan spell at Crystal Palace last season, where he scored eight goals and contributed five assists in 39 matches, bagging the club's Player of the Year award in the process.

A tireless box-to-box operator blessed with passing and shooting, the England star has featured heavily for his boyhood club in the ongoing 2022-23 campaign. He has registered a goal and an assist in 1130 minutes of action, spread across 26 matches across all competitions.

According to The Sun, Chelsea co-owner Todd Boehly is keen to retain Gallagher's services in the future. As a result, he is prepared to hand him a notable rise to his £50,000-per-week salary at Stamford Bridge.

Gallagher, who has a contract until June 2025 at Stamford Bridge, was linked with Newcastle United, Everton and Crystal Palace during the winter transfer window. The Blues are hoping to tie their youth product to a new deal soon to ward off potential transfer interest this summer.

Chelsea, on the other hand, are likely to open their doors for multiple exits in the upcoming summer. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Kalidou Koulibaly, Edouard Mendy, Hakim Ziyech, Marc Cucurella and Ruben Loftus-Cheek are among the stars who are expected to be shipped off.

As things stand, Gallagher is believed to be a part of Graham Potter's plans for the future. He would provide competition to British record signing Enzo Fernandez and N'Golo Kante in the middle of the park.

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Martin Keown says Chelsea supporters will soon realise club's winter transfer mistake

Speaking on talkSPORT, Arsenal legend Martin Keown stated that Chelsea fans will soon regret Jorginho's departure last month.

He said:

"Deep down, I think the Chelsea fans will realize what he brought to the club. He passes the ball really well and he sits deep in the midfield. I think there will be some players in their dressing room who will be a little bit surprised that he has been allowed to leave."

The 31-year-old secured a permanent move to Arsenal for a £12 million fee last month. After ending his four-and-a-half-year spell at the west London side, he signed a deal until June 2024 with Arsenal.

The Hellas Verona academy graduate scored 29 goals and contributed nine assists in 213 games for the Blues.