€60m release clause blocks Chelsea from silky attacking midfielder who could replace Conor Gallagher | OneFootball

We’re getting close to the summer now, and fans of every team are getting excited about what could be coming for them when the window opens. Chelsea are no exception, given the endless frustrations of this season, and the lingering sense that we’re just a piece or two away from being a really strong side again.

How about an exciting, creative Spanish attacking midfielder? It’s enough to get any supporter engaged. And Chelsea have been linked repeatedly with Dani Olmo, the RB Leipzig operator who looks likely to leave the Saxons this summer.

Today’s Fabrizio Romano Substack update explains that the German club won’t accept less than the Spain international’s €60m release clause. That’s a bit of an issue for Chelsea given their financial situation. Their best case scenario in terms of selling (for example) Conor Gallagher, a player who Olmo would replace in the team, is getting €40m to €50m – and given everyone knows their desperation to sell, and given Gallagher is entering the last year of his contract, even that might be ambitious.

The Blues simply aren’t in a position where they can afford to replace a player in one position in the team while losing money on the trade. They need to end with a net profit.

A new reality in the transfer market

This is the problem with getting excited about any of Chelsea’s summer plans. They’re not selling Conor Gallagher so they can sign exciting alternatives. They’re selling Conor Gallagher because they’ve already bought his replacements – Moises Caicedo, Enzo Fernandez, Romeo Lavia, etc.

That’s what we all have to get our head around. This isn’t sell to buy, something that even Chelsea fans are familiar with at this point. This is sell to afford what was already bought – and has already largely proved to be inadequate.