Newcastle United ponder £40m move as Amanda Staveley visit sparks transfer talk

Newcastle United have reportedly moved on from their interest in Leicester City star James Maddison and see Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher as a suitable alternative.

The Magpies lodged two unsuccesful bids for Maddison earlier this month and were considering submitting a third offer as they looked to add more attacking flair to Eddie Howe’s squad.

However, The Sun have reported the United hierachy have turned their focus to persuading Chelsea to part company with England midfielder Gallagher over the coming weeks.

United co-owners Amanda Staveley and Mehrdad Ghodoussi were at Stamford Bridge on Sunday afternoon as Thomas Tuchel’s side battled to a 2-2 draw against London rivals Tottenham Hotspur.

Gallagher featured as a late substitute for Ngolo Kante and has played just six minutes of the Chelsea’s two Premier League fixtures so far this season.

The talented 22-year-old returned to Stamford Bridge this summer after a highly successful season-long loan at Crystal Palace and the Eagles are believed to maintain an interest in offering him a return to Selhurst Park.

Newcastle’s initial interest in Gallagher was said to be with a view to a loan deal but the most recent reports suggest a permanent deal could be on the cards.

A £40million offer has been suggested over the weekend, just days after Blues manager Tuchel discussed the midfielder’s future at the club.

Speaking ahead of Sunday’s game against Spurs, the German boss said: The Chelsea head coach said: “In general, nobody is for sale, and everybody is for sale.

“It depends on what the player wants, how bad the player wants it, what we think, who is ready to pay a certain amount of money.

“Then maybe everybody is for sale.

“Conor fights in central midfield. To be very honest, it’s a tough fight for him because at the moment, as it seems, we only have two places in central midfield, which is a bit unfair given the number of players we have for central midfield.

“It’s not ideal,I agree. But we have to do what’s best for the squad, not what’s best for every individual player.”

Newcastle have also been linked with moves for Gallagher’s Chelsea team-mates Armando Broja and Callum Hudson-Odoi in recent weeks.