Reports have claimed that Chelsea are now growing in confidence that Conor Gallagher will put pen to paper on a new contract with the club.

According to TeamTALK, the Blues are now of the belief that the England international is a key player in the squad under Mauricio Pochettino.

Gallagher has essentially been an ever-present this season for Chelsea, even having the honour of captaining his boyhood side on a number of occasions.

While Reece James and Ben Chilwell have been plagued by familiar injury concerns, Gallagher’s reliability and consistency made him a perfect candidate for the role.

Pochettino is clearly a massive fan of his, with him becoming a staple of the midfield alongside two of the most expensive in the position of all time.

Over the summer, there were plenty of efforts made to actually sell the 23-year-old. Plenty of Premier League sides were intrigued by the prospect of signing him.

Gallagher close to new contract

Even on deadline day, way after the season had begun, there were claims that the Blues were still looking for someone to meet their asking price.

Now though, reports have claimed the attitude surrounding Gallagher have changed, and his importance is going to be recognised as such with his new contract.

Competition for places in the midfield at Chelsea is never going to be easy. The Blues already have a number of young stars waiting in the wings for their chances to impress at the top level.

This includes Romeo Lavia, who is yet to make his debut following his big summer move from Southampton due to injury.

However, it has been claimed that the youngster is pushing towards a recovery in the next few weeks, which will be exciting news for Chelsea fans as the fixtures begin to stack up.